Only You
by nikki3
Summary: Chapter Four uploaded! AU. ItaSasu. Shounen-ai. For as far back as he could remember, Itachi was always told that he was insignificant. Expendable. His only purpose of existence was to protect the main family's heir, a boy five years younger than he was.
1. Prologue: Itachi's Truth

Title: Only You  
  
Author: nikki (nikkichan0829yahoo.com)  
  
Chapter: 0/?  
  
Chapter Title: Itachi's Truth  
  
Genre: Romance/Angst  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Enough said.  
  
Warning: AU. INCEST? YAOI. Shounen-ai. Not betaed.  
  
Author's notes: I know, I know. I should be working on "Life Goes On" but I just couldn't help myself. I've been reading so many ItaSasu fics lately. My brain has been overrun by ItaSasu muses.  
  
-Prologue: Itachi's Truth-  
  
For as far back as he could remember, Itachi was always told that he was insignificant. Expendable. His only purpose of existence was to protect the main family's heir, a boy five years younger than he was. Being an orphan from the branch family, distantly related to the other Uchiha yet still bearing their name, he was taken to the main family to perform his duty, to be a decoy and to protect the heir. No, he was not adopted, merely taken in so he could do his job.  
  
He had been unwilling at first but the moment he saw the two-year-old heir tottering towards him, he knew he would live and die for him. He was ordered to pretend to be the heir's closest kin, his "brother". It would be more convenient for him to perform his assigned task. It was easy for him to go about his job as it was hard for him to leave the utterly helpless yet extremely cute kid alone.  
  
As he grew older however, he found himself harboring these strange feelings that were not even remotely brotherly. It was taboo for him to feel that way about Sasuke as branch members were not really allowed to form any of that sort of relationship with the main family. It was even worse for him because not only was Sasuke the heir, but he was also of the same sex. That posed as an extremely difficult problem as his "little brother" was supposed to produce the next heir.  
  
At the age of twelve, after being caught nearly kissing Sasuke, the main family had begun watching him more closely, accompanied by wary glances from the other boys within the clan. They shouldn't really worry too much. Itachi only wanted Sasuke.  
  
Then, an oracle came. That changed everything. The old woman took one good look at him and said, "That boy will end your bloodline and your heir would allow it." It had caused a great uproar within the Uchiha clan. The main family was furious. But she gave them a warning. "'Tread carefully or consequences will be dire." Then she was gone.  
  
That should have been the end of it. They should've just killed him if that would make them feel better but no, they had to drag Sasuke into it. They had somehow discovered the kiss he gave Sasuke when the younger boy had been asking about kissing. Who was he to pass up such an opportunity? The clan feared that Itachi had infected the heir with his homosexuality and therefore, Sasuke was no longer fit to be the heir. He had to die and a new heir put in his stead. The moment that Sasuke dies, they would place the blame solely on the prodigy's shoulders and execute him.  
  
When he was thirteen, a newly appointed ANBU captain, an order was given for Sasuke's execution. Itachi had been away on a mission earlier that day and was not due back until late into the evening. It had been unfortunate for the clan that he had been able to return earlier than expected, earlier than the time that Sasuke was expected to be home from training.  
  
He had killed them all, every last one of them. He would not allow any of them to hurt the one he loved. But yet, he was guilty of that same crime as well, from the look of hurt and anguish the younger boy had given him.  
  
Death, Itachi figured, would be more preferable than hurting the young heir. And Death he would welcome the day Sasuke became even stronger than him. Until then, he would protect the boy as best as he could... even from afar.  
  
-TBC-  
  
Author's notes: As you can see, it's quite AU. In this fic, they're not even brothers. (Humor me people.) They're distantly related yet they both bear the Uchiha name. (That's possible.)   
  
I hope that no one would flame because their brothers. If they read this prologue, they SHOULD know that Itachi and Sasuke's blood relation to each other is way, way far off hence, it's AU. (So, it's not really incest right?)  
  
Please review. Constructive criticisms are welcome. (The flame "You suck" does not constitute as constructive criticism. I would rather know the reason why. As for the flame "That's disgusting" or anything similar, please see previous paragraphs or rather, read the damn chapter. THIS IS AN AU FIC! DAMMIT!)  
  
Hmm... I feel really bitchy right now. I should go back to finishing the next chapter of my other fic.  
  
Started: June 9, 2004  
  
Ended: June 9, 2004 


	2. Chapter One: The Things I Did For You

Title: Only You  
  
Chapter Title: The Things I Did For You  
  
Author: nikki3  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.  
  
Warning: AU. Shounen-ai. Yaoi. Itachi x Sasuke.  
  
Author's notes: Well, I didn't think that this would work so well with my muses. At least, some of you guys like it. I don't have an internet connection at home at the moment so I'm uploading new chapters during one of breaks in school. Hopefully, I'll have a internet connection by the end of the week. Hmm... What else...? Oh yeah, someone mentioned that even though they are distantly related, their relationship is still incestuous. Well, I did think about that but basically, it's like this. When you guys are what third or fourth degree cousins, it's not really considered incest anymore. Itachi and Sasuke are really distantly related in this fic but they both do carry the Uchiha name. It's possible.  
  
-Chapter One: The Things I Did For You-  
  
For the next four years, Itachi spent it all getting stronger and keeping an ear out for trouble... going Konoha's way of course. But the information he got simply wasn't enough. After three years of exile, he was recruited into an organization called Akatsuki, whose sparse members were recruited from all over and most of them were S-ranked criminals. Itachi didn't care much about the organization's idealogy -- to acquire power to bring about the new world order. Hence the organization name, Akatsuki, meaning "The Dawn."  
  
No. Uchiha Itachi wasn't interested in something as trivial as world domination. He was more interested by their information network and its accuracy. All sorts of information filtered in quickly and with no delays. All of them were acquired frrom first-hand information, a testament to just how deep this organization's claws have sunk in. It would only be a matter of time before all their hard work came to fruition. It didn't matter to the young Uchiha as long as Sasuke remained safe and uninvolved. That was all that mattered.  
  
It was also when he was recruited that he met a vile, perverted snake by the name of Orochimaru. It was the first time that he had met the legendary nin and he hated the bastard instantly. Talk about hate at first sight. The man's interest in him did not go unnoticed and Itachi was not one to beat around the bush. He gave the snake senin a flat out refusal to cooperate especially when he found out that the man wanted to destroy Konoha and therefore, put Sasuke in danger. The look on Orochimaru's face was priceless. It was not long after that, the snake deflected and oh joy, Itachi had been sent to kill him. He had mortally wounded the man yet the slippery snake had gotten away. The prodigy knew that it would not be the last time he'd see him.  
  
A few months later, he had heard that Sasuke had graduated from the academy and at the top of his class too. His lovely, red avenger had passed the screening for genins and was doing harmless missions, which consisted of walking dogs, finding lost pets, doing laundry, grocery shopping, babysitting and a lot more harmless chores. Although it was strange that there had been a report of Sasuke's team being given a C-ranked mission that turned out to be B-ranked. That did not sit well with him. It prompted him to move towards the Wave Country to confirm the bit of news himself. And when he did arrive, he found that it was indeed true.  
  
Zabuza was no easy opponent and mroe so his companion who had a bloodline limit like the Uchihas. It could prove quite fatal if the older Uchiha didn't interfere. The prodigy wasted no time and contacted this Haku person personally. What he found was unexpected, a boy no older than he was who had the sweetest personality one could ever encouner. Had he been anyone else, he would not have suspected this boy to be a highly trained killer.  
  
After a rather short conversation, Itachi was relieved to hear the boy's plan and intentions. He also realized that he like Haku, not in the way he liked Sasuke but he liked him nonetheless. The younger boy would've made a good friend, a reliable comrade and a trustworthy ally. But it was just too bad that he would not live beyond a week.  
  
He should have left. The genius knew. But the urge to see Sasuke had been overwhelming and so he went. He had found his love "climbing" trees with a loud-mouthed blond. The nine-tailed fox most likely. Sasuke had grown. He was even more beautiful than Itachi remembered him to be. Every movement, every expression, the prodigy committed it all to memory. he did not know when he'd be able to see the younger Uchiha again. He briefly wondered if Sasuke ever thought of him but quickly squashed the nagging thought. Of course not. The Uchiha heir would never...  
  
The incident at the Wave Country came and went without a hitch. Everything went as Haku planned up to his death. But it was unfortunate that the man the young assassin wanted to protect, died not long after.  
  
The organization, almost complete with its preparations, had decided at this moment to give him a partner, a shark-like S-ranked criminal from the Village of the Hidden Mist named Hoshigaki Kisame. Not exactly talkative, Itachi allowed the man to fill in the long silences with idle chatter. But he made sure to keep an eye on the shark as the man had a rather violent and destructive nature. Both of them had been sent information gathering (not really an exciting prospect but important nonetheless) at least for the meantime to confirm certain reports. It did not take long for him to get wind of a disturbing bit of news -- Orochimaru, that damned snake bastard, had given his beloved Sasuke a blasted cursed seal. He was furious but was unable to go back. Should he do so, Akatsuki would most definitely question him, not that he particularly cared what they thought but they were still of great use to him and besides that, another good reason would be damn obvious the moment he stepped into the village.  
  
As luck would've had it, top management decidd to change their original order. This new one would take him back to Konoha, back to Sasuke at least for a short while. It saved him the trouble of thinking up a reason to see his beloved avenger, to see the damage that blasted snake did to the younger Uchiha. Someone was going to pay dearly for hurting Sasuke and that someone better start running because there was simply no telling what Itachi could do to the bastard when he finally caught him.  
  
Fate was on his side as Kisame had decided to indulge on a little killing spree, making him lag behind. Itachi had gone on ahead telling his partner to meet him at their intended destination. That was good. He wouldn't have the problem of having his actions questioned. The raven-haired genius arrived just as the war between Konoha and the Sand-Sound alliance erupted. It was not difficult to acquire a full ANBU attire. There were pretty much many to choose from especially since the area was quite littered with it, in all shapes and sizes too. He didn't think those people would've minded. How could they, when they were already dead?  
  
Disguised as an ANBU on his way in, he caught a glimpse of Sasuke going out with several shadows trailing behind him. Most likely Orochimaru's Sound nins. They never got closer to what they had intended as they slowly choked on their own blood. He made sure of it.  
  
There were times that he had almost lunged out to save his beloved Uchiha heir. (Such instances were when that red-haired Sand nin half-turned into a monster and when his transformation was complete.) It was in those instances that he was wracked with indecision. Would Sasuke want him to rescue the younger Uchiha? Or would he want that loud-mouthed blond to save him?  
  
In the past, he had contemplated the scenario of Sasuke falling in love with someone else. And he had told himself that he would let it be for as long as the younger boy was happy. But now he realized, it was a lie.  
  
It was perhaps in a fit of jealousy that he would've allowed his blood-thirsty companion to cut the Yondaime's legacy's legs off, had Sasuke not come and made his presence known. There was no mistake that hate and killing intent were deeply rooted into his aura. It was exactly the sort of intent he wanted Sasuke to have for him.  
  
But as he stopped the younger Uchiha's attack, he realized that -- it wasn't enough. Sasuke had to become stronger. His current strength wasn't enough. Apart from that, Itachi simply couldn't die just yet. He need to find a way to remove the cursed seal marring that perfect skin.  
  
His attention was diverted when he felt the nine-tailed fox's chakra, a situation which was quickly dealt with by Kisame's sword, Samehada. He heard Sasuke's curse beside him. believeing it was because of worry for the blond, Itachi felt rather jealous and hurt. The words that came out of his mouth... he had not really meant them. He would always have time for Sasuke. But it was already too late to take them back. Sasuke shouldn't really have worried. IF this mission would be a success, the prodigy himself would kill the damn fox. Think of it as a small mercy of sorts. Akatsuki could do much worse.  
  
It wasn't long, after the frog sennin's intervention, before the raven-haired genius had the younger Uchiha pinned to the wall and for the first time had a good look at the struggling boy's cursed seal.  
  
Nasty little thing, that cursed seal. Had he known this would happen, he would've made sure that snake was dead. But it was too late. He got careless. Another thing to atone for. Now that he got a good look at it, it remeinded him of the swirls in his eyes. Did the seal conform to match the victim or was the symbol merely generic? Interesting.  
  
Going back to Sasuke, seeing as how easy the younger boy was beaten, Itachi couldn't help but wonder, "Why are you so weak? ............ Not enough... hatefulness..." What he meant was, "Why? Don't you hate me enough to kill me?"  
  
-----  
  
For as long as he could remember, Sasuke wasn't the vilent type of person. He didn't fight unless provoked but nothing really petty to fight for, unlike now. As much as possible he had avoided fights like a plague yet he trained everyday to beat his big brother.  
  
How he idolized the older uchiha... It was strange that his memories of his brother started only when he was nearly three. He didn't even have at least a vague impression of an older sibling. Where was his big brother before then? He had always wanted to ask but never got around to it. Something else always came up.  
  
In time, it didn't matter anymore. What mattered was that Itachi was there with him. Just the mere thought of his brother made him giddy with happiness, his heart fluttering, his pulse racing... Not at all brotherly now that he thought about it.  
  
There were so many times when he just wanted to drown in his brother's eyes and kiss him. Yes, innocent as he was back then, he had wanted to kiss him, Uchiha Itachi. Back when he was seven, he already knew it was all wrong. Yet it did not stop him from wanting Itachi to kiss him. He had been rather disappointed when his mother walked in on them.  
  
He hardly ever saw his brother after that and even more so when that old hag came over. He had never seen his father so livid before. It was frightening. No one even liked his brother to begin with and now they hated him even more. The old one must've said something bad. Something was wrong. Had they somehow found out about that kiss?  
  
He had directly asked his brother for one during one of the rare times they would see each other. Sasuke had crept into Itachi's room late that night and sked for his first kiss. The genius had stared at him so incredulously at that time that the younger uchiha nearly fled. Well, he would've had Itachi not grabbed his arm, leaned over and complied. The kiss was enticingly sweet, gentle and thrilling yet... forbidden, like two lovers having a tryst in a dark alleyway where anyone could see them. Sasuke wanted more but stopped when he saw the pained look on his brother's face. The prodigy had let him go with a quiet good night but he had not slept well that night, thinking and wondering about what was troubling his brother.  
  
When he turned eight, he had gone out for training and returned home later than he expected. The moon was red, so red that it was frightening, giving him a sense of foreboding. Looking back down from moon gazing, he was horrified by the sight of his fellow clan members... dead, murdered by the one person he loved the most.  
  
It was after that incident that he followed his brother's instruction to live, to become stronger, to be an avenger. He had done nothing but train since then, foregoing the simple pleasures that children his age enjoyed. His life may have still revolved around Itachi yet it was differently this time around or so he tried to tell himself.  
  
He could not find it within himself to completely hate his older sibling. At some level, he still loved him. It made him feel very guilty but he couldn't help himself.  
  
His life would've been completely and utterly empty had he not gotten to know Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi. They filled up part of the empty void within his heart that itachi left behind when he massacred the clan. There were a few ups and downs but they got through mission after mission together. Everything was fine. He would've been able to put revenge behind him and enjoy life at least for a little while. But it was not to be as Orochimaru came into the picture. The damn snake bastard gave him a blasted cursed seal and reminded him of his limits and more importantly, his duty, his obligation -- to avenge his clan.  
  
Then Itachi came back, tearing his heart in two once more. His brother was even more strikingly beautiful then he remembered him to be. While girls dreamed of their hero to take them away to their dream home with neighbors who loved and adored them, Sasuke dreamt of his fallen angel to whisk him off to where no one would ever find them. But the prodigy did not come back for him. The older Uchiha came for Naruto. The thought had filled Sasuke's heart with jealousy even when the younger Uchiha had promised himself that he would no longer care about Itachi... but he still did. He had lied to himself in the hopes of protecting himself yet it only made the pain more severe, more hurtful, more unbearable.  
  
Then his brother left, leaving his heart in pieces once more. Upon the arrival of the new Hokage, unable to face the guilt of his heart betraying his clan and unable to accept this weakness, he had lashed out on those dear to him. He had rejected Sakura's kindness, challenged Naruto to a fight, nearly killing the blond or himself whichever came first and had stooped so low as to threaten Kakashi. He was being childish, a spoiled little boy throwing a temper tantrum when he didn't get what he wanted. He knew it and so the guilt and shame over his treatment of his friends ate at him. But it only lasted for as long as before the Sound's Four showed up, beating him and reminding him once more of what he had to accomplish, no matter how painful it was for him.  
  
So he left the village in the hopes of leaving himself, more importantly, his heart behind. He had fought with Naruto once again, ignoring the pleas of his heart to stop. The seal had gone beyond his control, urging him to shed more blood. Confused as he was, he might have wanted the blond to kill him and be finally free of his burdens, an easy way out so to speak.  
  
When it was all over, the fight, he had laid unmoving on the ground with Naruto limping over to take him back. He had felt ashamed of himself for letting Orochimaru manipulate him so. The blond had not gotten closer than an arm's length when some other Sound nins came. The seal still burned, immobilizing him completely. He could do nothing but watch as Naruto fought the shinobis with everything he had left.  
  
It was like a miracle that help came, though not the sort of help one would've expected but it was a relief nonetheless. Sasuke didn't know why but a sense of security and safety washed over him as their savior quickly dealt with the Sound nins like they were mere bugs to be swatted and crushed. In the end, he could only hoarsely whisper a "Why?" before his eyes closed. As he drifted off, he vaguely heard something that made him smile.  
  
"I came here for you, Sasuke."  
  
-----  
  
-TBC-  
  
Author's notes: Well, I spent four and a half hours writing all of that. That would be two days at Starbucks, killing my lungs and chugging down coffee which constituted as lunch. I'm practically killing brain cells just so I can write a chapter with little or no dialogue if I could. More dialogue would come in either the next chapter or the next, next one. This new fic was brought to life from reading too many ItaSasu fics (which really isn't bad since ItaSasu rocks) and a complete lack of sleep. Gods, I need sleep. I can't even understand myself anymore.  
  
Anyway, I hope you guys liked it. Please review!  
  
Started: June 11, 2004  
  
Ended: June 14, 2004 


	3. Chapter Two: The Truth Comes Out

Title: Only You

Chapter Title: The Truth Comes Out

Author: nikki3 (bloodywriter83yahoo.com)

Rating: PG-13 (subjected to change depending on the chapter content, which means that if it ever reaches the NC-17 mark, you'll be seeing it at my livejournal.)

Pairing: Itachi x Sasuke

Warning: YAOI. SHOUNEN-AI. AU. Incest?

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto.

Author's notes: Hmm... It took a while but here it is! Finally finished the second chapter of "Only You". Have fun reading people!

Kamikakushi - Ehehe... They were. Yeah. People just love to do those sort of things and I'm one of them! Hehe. Hehehe. Guilty pleasures? Don't we all have one?. I'm glad you find this fic interesting.

unmei0wa0fushigi - I'm glad you think it's good. I hope that this new chapter is as good as you expected.

Yuki-Chan2 - Yeah. He did come at the last minute. I hope you'll like this chapter.

Chesiere Cat - Yep. Sasuke asked about kissing. Who could resist? Not even Itachi could. I really love this pairing. Even if you've read all the fics about this pairing, it still wouldn't be enough. They may not be brothers but yeah, Sasuke doesn't know yet. Expect him to find out the truth... Hehehe. I update only when I'm in school or when I'm high on caffeine and nicotine. It's a bad habit I haven't been able to cure. (Damn school.) Thank you for your concern. I really appreciate it. Well, there's a nice ItaSasu scene here... -.-;;; I just hope that it comes out as good as I hope it would be. Glad you liked the last chapter. Please update your ItaSasu fic soon.

Pyro Dragon 117 - Yeah, it is incest but since they're not really brothers, it's not considered incest anymore (considering the fact that I made Itachi into Sasuke's distant cousin). I'm always stressed out because of school. Don't worry though. It's not the fic that's really stressing me out. I enjoy writing fics. I'm glad you think that the chappie was okay. Err... I'm a coffee addict and have a terrible smoking habit. I can't help it. But thank you for your concern. I really appreciate it. Twelve cups of coffee? Wow... You're an even bigger caffeine addict than I am. I'll update my fic asap. You should update yours soon as well.

FrozenLioness - I just came up with the idea while thinking of what to write for my KakaIta fic. I was just staring off into space, appreciating the taste of my espresso and... WHAM! I'm relieved to know that it makes some sense. I wasn't really sure it would work when I first thought of the idea.

Zedd07 - =.=;;; Aw, damn. You wanna send flames? Hehehe. Yup this was the one I bothered you with while we were at Starbucks. Hehehe... Yeah... More stories to finish... But at least it keeps boredom from school at bay. Besides, I really like this pairing. They're a really drool worthy pair. You should watch the anime and/or see the manga. I'm glad you liked it. I appreciate that you took the effort to review even if you're not from this fandom. My descriptions are still not as good as yours and lynlyn's. But I'm working on it.

viciouscallisto - I'm glad you like my stories and that you're interested in this one but I'm not really good at writing. Well, I'm updating now so I hope that you'll like this chapter.

jkkid - Err... Ehehe...

Krystal - I'm glad you think so. I'm trying to update as fast as I possibly can while my ItaSasu muses are still high and active. Erg... extremely active... -sees Itachi and Sasuke in a dark corner of the room- ... -puts up a sign that says "CENSORED" and puts it over the screen- Damn muses going at it like rabid weasels...

Chi - Glad you like it. Hope this chapter would good enough for you.

Chapter Two: The Truth Comes Out

Itachi had somehow ditched his bloodthirsty partner once he was well rested enough. He had heard the reports. They were disturbing to say the least. Sound was flurry with activity. Something was up. Four of the original Sound's Five had been sent out. If his hunch was correct, they were sent out for Sasuke. And he was not going to sit back and let them succeed in this endeavor.

From the last that he had seen Sasuke, he had used the organization's resources to find someone who could enlighten him on how to get rid of Orochimaru's blasted cursed seal. They had been fruitless until they discovered an old man who dealt with a similar case in the past. Not exactly what he was looking for but close enough. It just might work.

From his understanding of the old man's explanation, the cursed seal was a form of possession. One way to remove it was to exorcise the demon, in other words, kill that blasted snake and send him to hell. That would be hard since nobody knows just how many tricks that bloody viper had slithering up his sleeve. Another would be to remove the part of which the seal was attached to. Itachi was sure that there was no way that he could completely eradicate Sasuke's utter hatred for him. The only other alternative was to replace it with a stronger form of possession. Itachi didn't know what could possibly be stronger but he was sure that if it ever came down to it, he'd figure something out. It was a prodigy thing. Until either of the options was done, he would have to use a temporary means of suppressing the seal's power, which meant using a sealing jutsu stronger than the one previously used on the younger Uchiha.

Right now, the most important matter on hand was that he find Sasuke and whisk him away before Orochimaru digs an even deeper snake pit for the young avenger to fall into. He was still a bit far from Konoha. If they had ever left before he got there, he hoped to intercept them before they crossed the boundary.

He had not expected to encounter them almost to the border. Sasuke... He was changed. That's it. That blasted snake better start digging a deep hole to slither and hide in because this Uchiha was most definitely going to kill him the next time they met. He was going to bleed that snake dry and hang his bloody carcass for all to see. No one violates Sasuke's well being and gets away with it. No one.

His lovely, red avenger was on the ground barely conscious while his blond comrade was on defensive against Orochimaru's lackeys. In the state the bearer of the Nine-tailed Fox was in, he wouldn't last long despite his rumored quick healing abilities and his chakra stamina. Itachi had to interfere for Sasuke's sake.

Shock was written all over the blond's face as the prodigy stepped in. Dealing with such lowly dregs was easy. The battle was over as quickly as it had begun, hardly up to Orochimaru's high standards when it came to shinobi abilities. _The old man must be losing his touch_, Itachi thought with mild amusement.

He looked over to where the blond boy was hovering protectively over the younger Uchiha. Sasuke's eyes were unfocused, tired from the events that had transpired. Itachi could tell that had the Uchiha heir not been so drained, his eyes would've been looking straight at him. The genius' heart skipped several beats.

"Why?" The voice barely a whisper made his heart stop for moments. There were so many answers he could've given then, so many lies. He was tired, tired of lying to the one he loved.

His mouth opened and the words spilled out. "I came here for you." He honestly didn't think that Sasuke heard him. The younger Uchiha was already blissfully unconscious. So then, how to take a possibly violent and unwilling Sasuke was no longer a problem. The only obstacle left in "kidnapping" his beloved was the weakened blond before him. Had he been ever a loyal lackey of the organization, he would've just taken the opportunity to take the Yondaime's legacy back to headquarters (and still have Sasuke at that) with some obscure hope of receiving a promotion. But he wasn't like the others. He made his own path, doing things his way. He bowed to no one save the Uchiha heir, who was his angel sent from heaven to grace him with his light.

A high-pitched voice interrupted his thoughts, the voice evidence of puberty setting in. "I won't let you take Sasuke!"

__

My, my, so protective. The gesture was sweet but painful if Sasuke ever fell in love with this boy. The thought was smothering and suffocating. "Naruto was it?" His voice sounded so distant even to himself. "I'm not here to play power games for an organization I no longer represent. I'm not after you or that thing inside you. I'm only here for Sasuke since it has become apparent that he is no longer safe within Konoha's protective custody." He could not believe he was actually explaining and reassuring his actions to a kid whose I.Q. ran in the lines of pranks, pranks and more pranks. Oh, and yes of course, ramen. Come to think of it, he had not been to Ichiraku for years now expecialy since he was not really welcome in the village that was once his home.

But he digressed. Back to the matter on hand. The blond seemed to be thinking over what he just said. Perhaps he should give the boy some credit. At least this Naruto wasn't making a move without thinking it over first. Honestly, he was half-expecting the boy to try to beat the crap out of him or at least land a hit before contemplating such a rash and foolish action. In terms of power and chakra stamina, Naruto had quite a potential. Anyone would've been blind not to see that. Give or take a few years, the boy would be a powerful ninja, regardless of rank. Itachi was sure of that. Given what this blond was showing him now, he could see a bit of the promise and hope that few others have most likely seen. Naruto had the makings of a great shinobi. No doubt a sapling planted and nurtured with care by great men. Definitely worthy of Sasuke's affections.

"What do you plan to do with Sasuke?" The question was calmly laid out. The blond had already thought it over.

The prodigy sighed in relief. At least this kid had enough sense not to make any sudden moves. With his body still singing from the last kill, adrenaline rushing through his veins, he didn't know what he could've done had the younger boy lunged at him. "I won't hurt him if that's what you mean."

"Then why?" He had to hand it to the kid, he was pretty damn persistent.

Itachi slowly moved closer to where Sasuke lay. He kneeled beside the younger Uchiha, brushing off errant locks obscuring the boy's face. He stared at the raven-haired boy, pale yet beautiful. Sasuke looked so peaceful in his sleep, that small smile on his lips so blissfully unaware of the decisions being made for him. The genius closed his eyes and breathed deeply, his hand pausing on Sasuke's bruised yet warm cheek. Then he opened them again. He didn't bother to look at the blond, keeping his eyes fixed on Sasuke as he gently stroked the younger boy's skin. "I can help him get rid of Orochimaru's cursed seal. Even I am not cold-hearted enough to let that snake manipulate him so. As much as I want him to be an avenger, I don't want him to be influenced by that bastard of a Sennin. He's strong all on his own. He just doesn't have enough patience for it." _He never did._ Sighing, he continued, "I'll return him to you when I'm done."

"How do I know if you'll do what you say you'll do?" Doubt was evident in that voice, that tone the bearer of the Nine-tailed Fox used. Yes, how can anyone trust a criminal who wiped out his own clan?

Itachi hooked an arm under the unconscious Uchiha's legs and the other behind his neck and cradled the boy to his chest. "You'll just have to trust me then." The blond said nothing. The prodigy took this as his cue to go. Besides, he could sense others, possibly the young genin's comrades, coming closer.

"You better bring him back." A warning. _How interesting._ Had he been a lesser man, he would have been greatly intimidated.

The older Uchiha paused in his tracks. He didn't have to look back to know that the blond had literally turned a blind eye to what was going to happen. "If I don't return him to you in this lifetime, feel free to hunt me down in the next." Then he walked between the trees, through the foliage and vanished.

-----

Naruto didn't know what possessed him to let an S-ranked criminal walk away with Sasuke. From one criminal to another... the normally cheerful blond didn't know which was worse – letting Orochimaru get the young Uchiha for his perverted use or letting Itachi take Sasuke away for who knows what. (1) The older Uchiha had mentioned removing the cursed seal. Was it really possible? How could the Uchiha prodigy remove something that the many talented shinobis of Konoha could not? Naruto had his doubts.

But then again, he supposed that what Itachi had planned for Sasuke couldn't possibly be worse than what that snake bastard had in mind. So in effect, Itachi was the better choice after all. But what could he tell his comrades? What could he tell Sakura? They had come all this way only to return empty-handed. Not exactly the scenario he expected when they set out to rescue the younger Uchiha from Sound's clutches.

Shikamaru and the others, including the Sand siblings were eyeing him worriedly. He had remained uncharacteristically silent all throughout. It relieved him that they asked no questions after the initial outbursts when he first declared that they stop their pursuit and go back to their village. What could he possibly say? "Hey guys, Sasuke's murdering big brother came by to pick him up to do who knows what to him." (2) No, he couldn't possibly tell them that. He needed something better. "Hey, I figured giving Sasuke up to his bloodthirsty brother is better than giving him up to a perverted snake bastard." Nope. Definitely not. It all sounded as if he had abandoned their comrade to a terrible fate.

He had barely noticed the time and the distance they covered until he was standing in front of the old hag's office. They had been ushered into the room immediately. Somehow, he had expected her to flip at the news as he delivered his account of what happened to Sasuke. His comrades, with the exception of Kiba and Neji who were both in the hospital receiving immediate medical treatment, were staring at him in varying degrees of shock. He couldn't blame them. These were all mild reactions. He could already imagine what Sakura's reaction would be like... She had trusted him to bring their teammate back and he had failed her. Whether it was Itachi or Orochimaru, it was all the same. He had let an S-ranked criminal take Sasuke.

Tsunade seemed like she was in deep thought. She was probably thinking of how things could possibly get any worse. He half-expected her to berate him for being gullible and for his failure. But instead she sighed and said, "You've done well on this mission. I commend you on your performance."

Naruto blinked. She looked as if she was taking this quite well. It was shocking to say the least. He could not help but ask, "Why?"

She looked straight at him and smiled. "If Itachi is as you say he is and is no longer part of Akatsuki, then he's an even less threat than Orochimaru. Even if you did succeed in bringing Sasuke back, it would've been long before he left once more."

Naruto looked down at his feet. He still felt as if he had failed.

"Besides, from the way to narrated it, Itachi doesn't seem as cold-hearted as well all thought him to be. Perhaps it would be much better for them to resolve things just between the two of them. And maybe whatever scars Sasuke may have carried since the massacre of his clan may begin to heal. As a healer, I know that physical pain eventually fades as it heals. It may scar but it would no longer have the power to hurt you. Emotional scars, however... sometimes they may never heal at all. This is something only the two of them together can settle. It may be best to leave them be for now. All pursuits on both Uchihas will be put on hold as of the moment."

The blond wanted to argue with her but a hand on his shoulder made him realize just how tense he was. He looked at the owner of the hand and found jade green eyes looking back at him. The expression on Gaara's face was soft, so uncharacteristic for the bearer of the sand demon, Shuukaku but somehow seemed like it belonged there somehow.

"You've done all that you could. It's already enough. All you can do now is believe in Uchiha and his brother. If you believe Uchiha Itachi's claim to return his wayward little brother to Konoha one day, then the rest of us can start believing that Uchiha Sasuke would indeed return," the Sand ninja said. That was probably the longest he'd spoken to him since they last saw each other.

Naruto felt his lips quirk into a small smile. It was odd hearing that from the other boy but it made him feel much better. The others nodded in agreement. He smiled at them gratefully for their support. In a blink of an eye, they were dismissed and the loud ninja found himself trailing behind a certain red-haired ninja. "Gaara?"

"Hmm?"

"Thanks."

"... Don't mention it."

Naruto twiddled his thumbs for a moment before blurting out, "So, wanna have some ramen with me?"

Gaara regarded him strangely for a moment, cocking his head a bit to the side. The blond thought it was rather cute, a cute gesture of a clueless child who didn't know what was going on. "Ramen?"

"Yup!"

The youngest of the Sand siblings glanced at his sister and she smiled and nodded before walking up to Kankuro and informing him of Gaara being otherwise indisposed for a few hours. The youngest Sand ninja looked back at Naruto and shrugged, a totally Shikamaru-like gesture. "... I suppose so..."

"Yes! Ramen! You're paying!"

"Eh?!"

It wasn't until later on that Naruto remembered to inform Sakura of the Hokage's decision regarding their teammate, their comrade, their friend, Uchiha Sasuke.

-----

The first thing Sasuke realized as he slowly drifted back to the realm of consciousness and feeling was that he was on a bed, a very comfortable bed. His eyes fluttered open and he found himself looking at a room the size of his apartment. The windows were open, sunlight streaming in through the light curtains. The floor tiles appeared to be made of cold, hard marble. There was a small dresser in one corner o the room. One painting took up almost an entire wall. The bathroom was across the room from the bed. The closet doors were big, making Sasuke suspect that it was a walk-in closet. Over all, they were all impressive. Most especially the bed. It was a four poster bed complete with silk and velvet drapes and beautiful tassels loosely tying them to the posts. The blanket was thick yet light, not stifling at all. The mattress was soft, you would feel like sinking into it. Sasuke felt as if he could stay there all day. But that was strange. He didn't know anyone who could afford such a luxurious room, let alone the bed. It was almost as if he wasn't in Konoha anymore... Konoha...

Last thing he remembered about Konoha was abandoning the village to join Orochimaru and to pursue his brother. Konoha would most likely put him where he would be extremely comfortable. Even if Orochimaru's men succeeded in taking him to Sound Village, he honestly didn't think that he'd be swathed in comfort. Which left only one more person... his brother. But Itachi would do something like this for him. The old Itachi he knew would but the one who massacred his clan – most definitely not.

Just then, the door opened with a creak and a familiar cloaked figure stepped into the room. Sasuke's eyes widened in recognition. A flash of warmth rushed though his body as a stray thought surfaced above the rest. _He cares._ The younger Uchiha knew that he really shouldn't care that he cared. The one standing before him was the man who killed his parents, massacred his clan. But he did care that his brother, Uchiha Itachi, cared for him. He sat up, his body protesting against the act. "Itachi..."

The older Uchiha moved silently towards him. Sasuke remained still, staring at his brother wide-eyed. Upon reaching the bedside, Itachi placed a warm hand over Sasuke's forehead. "Your fever's receded somewhat. You still need more rest." The prodigy reached for a shirt from the bedside table and motioned the younger boy to raise his arms. It was only then that Sasuke realized that he was wearing someone else's clothes. The younger raven-haired boy quietly allowed his brother to undress him, removing the shirt he was wearing and putting the new one on him. Sasuke could feel the heat on his cheeks, knowing that he must have looked like a ripe tomato. From the scent of the shirt, he could tell that it was Itachi's shirt he was wearing, the thought sending another wave of heat through his body. He mentally berated himself for reacting this way. _Pull yourself together, Sasuke._

He opened his mouth to say something, anything to keep his mind from straying into thoughts that he shouldn't be thinking. But Itachi wasn't where he was previously. The prodigy was already standing in front of the window, pushing back the curtains.

"You've been unconscious for three days. You're safe, for now. This place has been devoid of inhabitants for a month now. It's previous owners... Well, let's just say that Kisame... got a little carried away. Akatsuki won't bother us for at least a week more or so. That snake on the other hand, wouldn't dare where I'm concerned." The genius' eyes flickered to him briefly before continuing, "I've reinforced the seal over your cursed seal. It should hold until such time that we find a way to remove that snake's poison."

Sasuke moved his hand over to where the cursed seal was. Now that he'd noticed it, the seal hasn't reacted since the older Uchiha stepped into the room. He couldn't feel the seal's dark essence at all. "Why?" He asked. "You don't even care so why bother?"

"But Sasuke, I do care."

"No, you don't."

"I care about you more than you could ever imagine."

"Why should I believe you?" _I want to believe you but it's just so hard._ "You killed the clan."

Itachi sighed. "I did what I had to do."

Sasuke growled. "You betrayed me."

He could see the older Uchiha's eyes widen briefly at this. "If there was anything that I didn't do, that would be betraying you. I never wanted you to get hurt nor did I want to hurt you."

"You already did. You killed mother, father and the others. You took everything from me!"

"Sasuke..."

"Everything was fine the way it was. Why did you have to ruin everything? You're my brother. Why?"

"Sasuke, I..."

"I hate you."

"..."

"I hate you! I hate you so much it hurts! I hate you..."

Itachi remained silent as Sasuke wiped the unshed tears from his eyes but more still came and streamed down his pale cheeks. The older Uchiha walked back to the younger boy's side. When the young avenger saw this, he raised his arms to fend his brother off should the other come any closer. "Don't... don't come near me..."

The genius gently pushed Sasuke's arms aside and held them as he sat down. "Sasuke..."

"Go away..."

"They, your clan, wanted you dead." The distraught boy stiffened at the statement. "I did my duty, my duty to protect the heir of the Uchiha Clan." The younger boy looked at him confused at what he was saying. "At the age of seven, I was taken from the branch family to protect a boy five years younger than I was."

"Branch family?"

"Yes, So in other word, Sasuke, we're not brothers. We never were."

-----

Itachi surprised even himself that he could tell these things to Sasuke with a straight face. The look on the Uchiha heir's face coupled with the tears cascading down his cheeks made the prodigy want to pull Sasuke into his arms and soothe him the way he used to when the younger boy had a nightmare. But he couldn't. Not right now. He had brought up his truth out into the open himself. The least he could do was finish it.

"That's... not true..." the younger boy choked out.

Itachi caught Sasuke's chin between his thumb and forefinger and made the younger Uchiha look at him. "But it is. They took me in to be your protector. I was nothing but an expendable tool. I was to act as your brother until you turned eighteen. I was a decoy, a false heir so that the clan's enemies wouldn't think about hurting you." He sighed. "You remember the oracle, Sasuke? She left as quickly as she came but not without a foretelling." The prodigy released his hold over Sasuke and looked away. "She said I would end our bloodline... and you would let me. Everyone was furious. I never meant to feel any more than I should for you. They asked for your head and I did what I had to do to protect you."

The heir placed a hand over his lips and looked at him in horror and shock as more tears fell. It was too painful for Itachi to continue looking. He knew that Sasuke was appalled to know that he was the cause of the clan's demise.

"I swore to myself before that I wouldn't let anyone most especially myself, hurt you and that I would do everything within my power to protect you... But I didn't do a good job of it, did I? I hurt you far more than anyone else." He lightly brushed the younger Uchiha's tear-stained cheek with his fingertips. "If it means anything to you, I'm sorry. When all this is over, if you want, I'll let you kill me as a punishment for my crimes against you."

Sasuke shook his head and continued to cry and there was nothing the prodigy could do about it. Itachi knew that no amount of apologies were enough to comfort the heir and make the boy forgive him completely.

The older Uchiha gave a heavy sigh. He stood up and walked out but not without pausing, glancing back at Sasuke before closing the door. He leaned heavily against the door and closed his eyes. He could hear the boy's sobs even from behind the closed door. It had hurt him to know that he had once against hurt the one he loved but this time with the truth. His vision blurred and he could feel his tears trailing a path of wetness against his cheeks. He was glad that there were no other residents within the mansion save for him and Sasuke. He didn't know how he could've bottled it all up without losing it had anyone else been around.

It was a while before the sobs inside the room completely subsided. He wiped his tears with the back of his sleeve and peeked into the room to check on Sasuke. He saw the younger boy asleep, his face half-buried into the pillow, tears a glistening trail down his face. A whimper and a sob escaped his lips every now and then. Even in his sleep, it seemed that the younger raven-haired boy could not be at peace because of the truths Itachi unveiled for him.

The prodigy felt a twinge of pain lance through his chest at the sight. Hurting Sasuke was the most unforgivable act he had ever done above all the numerous crimes he had committed. In this lifetime and those to follow, he would spend every moment making it up to him. He clenched his fists. He would make sure of it.

He closed the door quietly and walked down the corridor soundlessly. But first things first – he had to do something about that blasted cursed seal. Damn Orochimaru and his perverted ideologies. Screw that snake and his jutsus. Itachi would first break the seal then he'll break that unforgivable bastard in every possible way he could.

But he was getting ahead of himself. The seal... How to remove it? He needed something stronger than what bound it to the victim. If the seal was deeply rooted in Sasuke's hatred for him then the counter for it would be... He stopped in his tracks, the small click of his heels echoed down the otherwise silent hallway. But he couldn't. There was no way for it to ever happen even if that emotion may be a stronger form of possession than hate could be.

Perhaps it would've been better to let the blond take the younger Uchiha back to Konoha after all. There was no way he could change the way Sasuke felt for him. If he returned Sasuke to the village and let the boy kill him, maybe, just maybe the younger Uchiha would be happy someday. It might work but it was no guarantee that the cursed seal would be removed completely. Besides, that blasted snake was bound to find a way for the seal to resurface. On the other hand, as much as he loved Sasuke, he couldn't ask the boy to live a lie for him if it were even possible. The younger boy's hatred for him would always be deeper and stronger than any other emotion he could ever feel for the one he once thought was his brother. Besides that, he couldn't ask Sasuke to abandon the village completely for him if he could ever make Sasuke love him the way he loved the younger Uchiha.

He slammed his fist into the wall beside him, causing a large indentation on the hard concrete. He couldn't do this. No matter how he looked at it, it all seemed so hopeless. Maybe he should return the younger Uchiha to the village when he was well enough. Then perhaps they could end it all and say goodbye.

Another wave of pain went through his heart at the thought. It was choking him. He knew he would eventually have to say goodbye to Sasuke but it seemed that no amount of preparation would ever make him ready to do so. No amount of time was enough for him to dull the pain that threatened to suffocate him.

He continued his trek down the hallway, bypassing his room and went down the stairs. He needed fresh air to breathe. Perhaps a short walk outside would help clear his mind and may help him think straight. How did things get so complicated while he wasn't looking?

-----

Sasuke stared at the drapes without really seeing. How long had he been here? Mostly alternating between sleeping and crying he had not really bothered to notice the time. Itachi came in and out every few hours or so to check on him, every now and then bringing him food and trying to coax him to eat. He had barely acknowledged the older Uchiha every time. He supposed that it was his lack of response that made the other boy stop talking and just did things without prior warning. Itachi had undressed him, bathed him, dressed him and changed his bandages. He did everything except force him to eat. The prodigy would always leave the tray on his bedside table and leave. Sasuke wouldn't eat. He wanted to die.

Earlier, after being bathed and wrapped in a soft terry robe, the older Uchiha sat him in front of the dresser and brushed his hair with smooth strokes. The rhythmic motion of the brush through his hair was soothing somewhat. It was in such a moment that he could almost pretend that nothing was wrong, that the other Uchiha brushing his hair was really his brother. Their parents would be downstairs waiting for them to come down for their meal. The other clan members would be ready to greet them as they went out for training. It was almost too easy. But unfortunately, Sasuke was all too aware of the fact that Itachi wasn't his brother, a mere branch family member assigned to protect him, the heir. The clan was dead, massacred by the one he trusted and loved the most. His life was turned upside-down because of the clan's fear of destruction, Orochimaru's perverse fascination with the Uchiha bloodline limit and most especially because of Uchiha Itachi. The thought may sound childish but it just wasn't fair! He never wanted any of this to happen. Things were so much simpler back then. He never meant to... to...

The door opened and Itachi came in with another tray in his usual attire save for his cloak. He should know by now that the younger Uchiha had no intention of touching it. But it seemed that he brought it anyway. Sasuke looked away, opting to stare outside where it was raining. It seemed that the heavens cried for him when he didn't have to strength to do so. He could see it clearly from where he was as the windows were closed and the curtains were pulled aside. The older Uchiha placed the tray aside and sat on the bed, feeling the younger boy's forehead with his hand. Then, he sighed.

"Sasuke, you should eat. You're not going to get any better like this."

The younger raven-haired boy turned his head and glared at the prodigy. "Maybe I don't want to get better." He sat up. "Maybe I just want to die."

The frown on the genius' face deepened, his eyes narrowing into slits. Had the situation been different, Sasuke would have been terrified to death. Itachi looked menacing and dangerous. The younger boy was startled when the older Uchiha grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Why?!"

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as well. "You ask me why? It's because of me the clan is gone. I caused their deaths. It's all my fault. I should die."

Itachi growled. "That's not what I save you for! The blame falls on me! Me! I killed them for my own selfish reasons. True, you were the reason I did it but it was my fault, not yours!" The older boy went silent for a moment and breathed deeply as if to calm himself, his tight hold on the younger Uchiha's shoulders loosened somewhat. "Sasuke, don't think about it anymore. Just eat and get better... I don't want to see you so miserable..."

Sasuke's eyes flickered to the tray for a moment when he saw the saddened expression on the prodigy's face. "No."

The genius suddenly went rigid and relinquishing his hold on Sasuke, he picked up the tray, which had on it a bowl of chicken broth, and placed it beside him on the bed. The younger boy stared at him in confusion as he dipped the spoon into the clear soup and brought it to his own lips. Sasuke half-expected the other to force feed him by trying to shove it down his throat. What he didn't expect was or the older Uchiha to lean over and kiss him. In his shock, his mouth went slack, granting the other access to his moist cavern. His eyes widened when he felt the prodigy's tongue touching his as the soup was passed from one mouth to the other. It was much to his shock and dismay that he found himself responding, closing his eyes and kissing back. The taste of the broth was lost to him as their mouths clashed, tongue twined, his hands tangling in the older boy's hair, dislodging the band that held it together, and Itachi's hands on the small of his back and the back of his neck. It was his first exploration into the realm of intense emotion and sexual feeling since he first woke up in the prodigy's care. Blood rushed through his veins, warmth seeped into every pore down to the core of his being and fireworks lit up behind closed eyes. Breathing seemed irrelevant and unimportant. Nothing mattered except for the mouth on his own, the tongue twining with his, the hands on his body, the feelings he was experiencing and the person who evoked them.

Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped. His eyes opened as Itachi pulled away, leaving him breathless, his lips tingling, his body trembling and asking for more.

"Itachi..." he murmured breathlessly. He was about to say more when the ex-ANBU captain suddenly stood up as if to put some distance between them.

"You should finish your soup." It would have come out cold and distant had the older raven-haired boy not looked as breathless and disheveled as he was. Then, Itachi walked out leaving Sasuke to catch his breath, confused and wondering what the hell just happened between them.

-----

Itachi closed the door and leaned against it. _What am I doing?_ He wondered as he pressed his fingertips to his still tingling lips. He had not really meant to kiss Sasuke. He had only wanted to shock the boy into taking the soup without resorting to physical violence and hurting him. But, by gods, the kiss was electric, sending jolts of pleasure up and down his spine and throughout his entire body. He had been drawn deeper into that intimate contact as Sasuke willingly kissed him back. He could've had the younger boy then and there if he wanted. But he didn't. He could not and would not take advantage of the clan heir in his obviously distraught state. With Sasuke's current mindset, it was more likely that he would welcome any form of comfort and physical contact to assuage his pain, guilt and distress. He stopped before both of them did something that they might regret later on.

He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. His heartbeat still wouldn't slow down. _Sasuke..._ Behind closed eyes, he could still see the delectably tempting image Sasuke presented when he broke the kiss. Even with his eyes opened, he could still see it with every breath he took, he could still smell the scent that was unmistakably Sasuke. He didn't know what to do. He was glad that his room was situated down the hallway, on the far end, rooms away from the younger boy. Just knowing that he had almost had a very willing Sasuke in bed took every bit of his will power not to go back in there and ravish the boy.

With great effort, he peeled himself away from the door and slowly walked back to his room. Having only one door between and the Uchiha heir was beginning to be particularly trying on his self-control with the way his thoughts were going at the present time. He needed to put some distance between them, the farther, the better.

Once in his room, he dropped down with his back on the bed and put his arm over his eyes. He needed to put a tighter hold over his sense of self-control. He needed to do something, anything to keep his tainted hands of Sasuke. But after having a taste of the forbidden fruit, how was he supposed to keep his hands of the younger boy without going mad?

-----

Sakura stared into the water from the bridge where she stood. It was the place where Team Seven would always meet up before undergoing any mission or training. When she wasn't there, she would spend most of her time by the village gates, wanting to be the first one to greet Sasuke when he came back. She had every hope that he would one day walk through those gates and call her annoying as she fawned over and lavished so much attention on him like she usually did when they were all together. She wouldn't mind if she reverted back to being the third wheel in his and their other teammate, Naruto's rivalry. She just wanted him back safe and sound.

Truth be told, she really didn't know whether to be happy or sad that the number one rookie ended up in his brother's clutches rather than Orochimaru's. She couldn't even believe her ears when Naruto narrated the incident to her. It was like some freakish horror movie where the heroes would think that things were looking up only to find that things had not only gotten bad but also worse. But she had no choice other than to simply believe in her comrade's instincts and beliefs.

She stared at her reflection and thought, _I'm so pathetic. I'm no use to anyone pining over Sasuke-kun like this._ She needed to do something to better herself, to improve her current state. She knew that she had to find a way so as to keep her from lagging behind her teammates all the time.

She had once been arrogant enough to think that she would be one of the first ones to be promoted to Chuunin. And who would've thought that out of all nine rookies, the laziest of the group, Shikamaru would be the first one to be promoted to the next level. Even Sasuke and Naruto weren't good enough to be chosen by the standards of the committee evaluating them. She may have the brains but what she lacked most were the skills to back her up. She obviously needed to work on that.

She pushed back from the railing she had been leaning on. But first things first – she needed to get back in touch with her friends and apologize to them for ignoring and distancing herself from them for so long. She started her trek back to the main square to find her friends, confident that soon, things would get better as long as they had hope and worked towards it together.

As it was, soon she found herself walking up to Ichiraku's, knowing that it was the place Naruto frequented the most. True enough she found the number one loud ninja slurping down his third bowl of ramen. What she had not expected was that he had company with him. Gaara was there and was also on his third bowl of ramen as well. Sakura felt her brow twitch at the sight. It was almost as if they were having some weird contest. It was funny in a way because both boys stopped mid-slurp to look at her as she sat down beside the blond, with a noodle still dangling from their pursed lips. The hyperactive blond slurped the rest of the noodle into his mouth and screamed, "Sakura-chan!" Ouch. And right into her ear too.

Sakura scowled and whacked her teammate at the back of his head. "Naruto! Not so loud! I can hear you just fine!"

The red-haired ninja stared at her blankly for a moment before resuming what he had been doing, which was slurping ramen in the same manner as Naruto before she came in and sat with them. The attitude was almost Sasuke-like except for the fact that she actually liked the raven-haired genin. The Sand ninja on the other hand, she didn't know what to make of him. But from what she heard around town, he got along really well with Naruto.

The pink-haired girl spent quite a few hours with Naruto and Gaara, catching up on the things she missed when she distanced herself from them. She had found out that Chouji had been ordered by several doctors to take a temporary diet at least until his stomach got well enough to accomodate his usual range of consumption, much to the chubby boy's chagrin.

Shikamaru had needed to have some of the bones of his fingers reset and strangely enough developed a habit of going out of his way to the hospital to visit Neji, who was currently immobile due to being swathed in thick bandages and a target for Naruto's pranks it seemed. Knowing Shikamaru though, he most likely sat through the whole ordeal muttering about watching them was so troublesome.

Kiba was doing better now. Like Neji, he was still recuperating from his previous injuries although he had already been released from the hospital.

Rock Lee was going to the hospital for a regular check-up every other day. The Godaime feared that there might be some backlash due to his fight with Kimimarou, overexerting himself so soon after recovery.

Ino, Hinata and Tenten were helping out wherever and whenever they were needed. Temari and Kankuro, Gaara's siblings, were helping clear debris when they weren't discussing the alliance between Sand and Konoha with the Hokage and some representatives from both villages.

Konohamaru and his friends had taken up Naruto's job of pulling random pranks much to the amusement of the villagers. It was mostly to keep the people's spirits up after suffering great losses.

It appeared to Sakura that almost everyone seemed to be doing something except her. Perhaps she should go out and volunteer for some work around the village. It would keep her too busy from her thoughts of Sasuke at least for most of the time.

She and Naruto spend most the conversation just talking to each other. The Sand ninja beside the hyperactive blond merely spent it listening to them converse when he wasn't staring at the loud ninja, of course. She could easily spot infatuation if she saw one. (Mainly because she herself had been there before.) And this one was close enough. She almost giggled whe Naruto, who was as clueless as ever, turned to him while he was staring and asked his opinion about the subject they were discussing. The blush was evident on the other boy's cheeks. It was priceless. So cute.

Then, the oblivious blond put an arm over the blushing ninja's shoulders causing the other to turn an even deeper shade of red, closely competing with the color of his hair. She couldn't help but smile to herself. _Yup. Definitely cute, the two of them together._ She left the two with light spirits (Gaara had been suckered into paying the bill for the hyperactive blond) and looked up at the sky. She smiled. _Sasuke-kun come back soon. You don't know what you're missing._ She giggled.

-----

TBC

Gods, that sounds so perverted. It was not really my intention to do so but it just came out that way.

Please see number 1.

Author's notes: This is what I call "The Chapter In Which the Characters Angst Too Much." Never realized how much angst one could really put in a chapter using only four Naruto characters. Hehehe. Anyway, I spent a lot of time and effort to finish this chapter (that's filling up a filler notebook with the unedited version, that's 33 pages worth of brain cells). (When I finished this chapter, I was looking at 10 pages worth on Word, Garamond, size 10, but by putting the obligatory stuff, I'm not looking at 10 but 11 pages.) I also realized that because I'm making the chapters longer than usual, I'm sorry to conclude that the chapters for this fic would ultimately be reduced. I've tried proofreading this to the best of my abilities. I hope that there are at least minimal errors in terms of grammar and spelling.

Please review! Flamers can go to hell and kiss Zabuza's ass (if they can get through Haku first)!

Started: June 16, 2004

Ended: June 26, 2004

Transferred from filler notebook to Word: June 27, 2004

Worked on: June 16, 18, 19, 21, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 – a total number of nine days.


	4. Chapter Three: Between What's Proper and...

Title: Only You

Author: nikki3 )

Chapter Title: Between What's Proper and What's Right

Rating: R (please note that the rating has gone up for this chapter)

Genre: Romance/Angst

Disclaimer: Naruto belongs to Masashi Kishimoto-sensei and not to me. Enough said.

Warning: OOCness, YAOI, sex (not really descriptive and no penetration...)

Author's notes: This is really weird... I've been doing these fics lately that seemed to have these really horny Uchihas running around. Erg... I really have an overactive imagination and an obsession with Uchiha Itachi. Gods, he so gorgeous... Err...

Replies to reviews:

artemis347 - Err... Depends on what you mean by serious... Hehehe...

Domoko-chan - Ehehehe... You'll just have to wait and see ne?

dreamlife - Thanks, I will try to.

Yuki-Chan2 - Yeah... So much angst and I don't even know where my muses get it. Erg... Right now they're not exactly in the angsty mood anymore though...

jo - Hahaha! ItaSasu rocks! MWAHAHAHA!

Pyro Dragon 117 - I have a really bad case of insomnia so resting is not really much except for a couple minutes. Yeah, you need to update soon. Hehe. My plot bunnies are rabid I tell you. They're using my own frying pan against me. Teehee!

Navi - Well, I'm glad you like this fic. I'm updating now. Please tell me what you think.

Chesiere Cat - Angst is good in small doses but too much may kill brain cells. Hehe. Yeah, I liked that scene with Gaara slurping the noodle too. Teehee! Hey, update "Possession" soon. Too bad "The Shark and the Weasel" is over. It was funny.

unmei0wa0fushigi - Thanks. This is the next one. I hope that it meets your expectations.

EternalDreamLand - Glad to know that you liked it.

Now that's done, on with the fic!

Chapter 3: Between What's Proper and What's Right

Sasuke stared at his reflection in the mirror. His hair was down and was still a bit damp. He hadn't bothered to spike it since he started doing things for himself instead of letting Itachi do all the work. He couldn't understand how Itachi's caring for him had made him care for himself again.

As he glanced at his reflection once more, he inspected the cursed seal. There was a new set of marks over Kakashi's own. _Must be the seal Itachi was talking about._

It was a bit strange to think about the older Uchiha as someone else other than the brother he had idolized then hated in the thirteen years of his life. He honestly didn't know how to deal with it. And in addition to that was the kiss. It turned his world upside-down and inside out. It drew him in and the older raven-haired boy became the center of his world. At that point, nothing else mattered – not that fact that they were both male, not the clan, not his misguided revenge. Nothing had mattered except Itachi and the feelings he evoked. He felt like he was soaring in the air and had no intention of going back down. There were fireworks exploding behind his closed eyes. His heart was beating so fast. He felt warm all over.

Had they been truly brothers, it would have been wrong yet right, forbidding yet thrilling. He didn't think that his feelings would change even if it were so. Itachi held an alluring attractiveness that Sasuke could not deny. The prodigy didn't have to do anything to capture anyone's attention. His looks and his mere presence did it for him, which was probably why the younger Uchiha tried to emulate the genius, integrating Itachi's charm and allure into his image. Had he merely been himself, no one would have acknowledged him. Sure girls like Sakura and Ino would have gushed over his looks but had they met the prodigy, they would have only seen "Itachi's younger brother" and not Uchiha Sasuke. Hell, without the older Uchiha's influence in his life, he probably would have been acting as idiotic as Naruto.

Naruto... The blond was really something. The younger raven-haired boy could not deny that the other boy had become important to him, a friend, kind of, that he had come to depend on. It was like taking a breath of fresh air. Sasuke realized that listening to the loud blond talk of his ideals and his ninja way was refreshing. He could almost think that the world was always looking up instead of down. Almost. Had his revenge and his desire for even greater power than the one who murdered his clan not blinded him, he believed that he would've gotten along really well with Naruto. That was of course despite the times when the other boy would do something really embarrassing and idiotic and their constant squabbles. The pranks weren't that bad. The eraser prank on Kakashi was funny even if it gave the jounin a rather terrible first impression of them. Then, the blond had been concerned enough to follow him when he left. It touched him to know that Naruto cared in spite of all the fights they had with each other. If he ever saw that prank-pulling blond again, he'd make sure to thank him and maybe be a bit nicer.

And perhaps the same with Sakura too. She had been a very supportive teammate despite his harsh treatment of her. But with the way his heart and mind were going, he didn't think that he could ever return her feelings. It seemed that Itachi would always be the first in his thoughts and the last as well.

Sasuke shivered from the cold and realized that he was still naked. He wrapped a towel around his waist and got out of the bathroom. He found a new set of clothes laid out for him in the bed. The prodigy must've come in while he was in the shower. He sighed after inhaling the scent from the clothes. It smelled so much of the older Uchiha. The clothes fit loosely on him, the sleeves slipping down on side, exposing his shoulder. He sat down on the bed. Why was he thinking of Itachi so much in that way when the genius killed the clan? It confused Sasuke so much. It made him wish that the older Uchiha was not the one who massacred his clan. Then things wouldn't be this complicated.

He mentally slapped himself. _Snap out of it, Sasuke! You're not supposed to be all mushy and gushy over a murdering criminal._ He buried his face in his hands. He couldn't stop himself from liking Itachi more than he should. Hell, he shouldn't even like the prodigy in the first place. What was wrong with him? It made him feel guilty for wanting the older Uchiha when he should hate the other boy's guts for their clan's demise. The feelings were conflicting, contradicting and confusing. But he knew that he could not kill that prodigy in his current state but neither could he kill the older Uchiha even if he was expected to. He didn't know how to solve this particular dilemma. Everything just seemed to be going in circles.

Just then, there was a click and the door opened. The source of his confusing came in bearing a tray of food. "You seem to be doing better now," the older boy commented.

Sasuke didn't reply, opting to merely stare at the other. Itachi was wearing a high-necked shirt with the Uchiha symbol at the back and a pair of white shorts. It was what the younger raven-haired boy usually wore except that the shirt was black. Those long, lean legs were exposed, the shorts riding high, baring the pale skin with every movement, making the younger Uchiha wonder briefly if that was what Sakura and the others saw when he walked around.

The prodigy set the tray on a table by the windows and pulled up a chair for him. Then he merely stood there waiting for Sasuke to take a seat. The gesture was so submissive, too unlike the Itachi the younger Uchiha knew before the truth came out. The genius was acting like a servant, something that the number one rookie had trouble accepting and adjusting to.

He sighed, got off the bed, walked over and took a seat. He glanced at the prodigy who remained standing by his side, the older boy's eyes averted as if it was wrong to look at the Uchiha heir directly. Sasuke bit his lip. Even if Itachi wasn't his brother but a mere branch member and a murderer, he still didn't want to see the other acting that way. "Itachi..."

"Hai."

The younger boy gave the prodigy a pained look. "Please sit down." The genius willing complied by kneeling down and sitting back. Sasuke sighed. This wasn't working. 'Have you eaten?" He was answered by a mere shake of the other's head. "Why?"

The prodigy's eyes remained downcast. "I'll eat when you're done."

"Why don't you just eat with me now?"

"It wouldn't be proper."

Sasuke scowled. This was ridiculous. "Why not? You've done so before," pertaining to the time when he still thought they were brothers.

"Things were different back then."

"I don't care."

"It still wouldn't be proper."

"What's proper isn't necessarily right!" The other remained silent, still not looking at Sasuke. The younger Uchiha sighed exasperatedly. "Listen. Either you eat with me or you just leave me alone when I eat." He placed a hand on the prodigy's chin and tilted it up so the older boy would look at him. "I don't want to see you like this. It just isn't right."

The genius sighed and closed his eyes. "I'll come back when you're done then." Then he stood up and left, leaving Sasuke to stare after him.

Sasuke bit his lip and looked back at the food on the table. He ate without really tasting anything. His mind was a jumbled mess. He couldn't think straight. Itachi was anything but a lowly servant to him. Any attempt to make the prodigy act like the one he knew was futile. The older Uchiha had been acting this way since the younger raven-haired boy started getting out of bed on his down. It was like making the gap between them even wider than it already was. It was painful for him to know that Itachi was creating an even greater distance between them. If it was because of the kiss, Sasuke wasn't disgusted at all, far from it. In fact, he wanted it. He wanted Itachi so much.

The younger boy knew that the prodigy was keeping him away of the gap between them, making him all too aware of their differences in status and the fact that the genius was the one who killed their clan to save his life. His guilt told him to make the older Uchiha's life miserable, enjoy the experience of the other waiting on him for his every whim then kill the bastard. It would have been the proper thing to do for an avenger like him. But his heart argued that it just wasn't right. He never hated his clan's murderer enough. He had never truly hated the prodigy in the first place. In fact, he...

Sasuke shook his head. No, he didn't. He couldn't possibly... He would never... but he wanted to. It was all too much. He couldn't breathe. It was suffocating him. Everything was going out of control and he didn't know how to deal with them. Even if he wanted to just escape from them, whether he wanted to or not, he would have to face them eventually.

He growled in frustration. He needed a breath of fresh air and a way to let out all these pent up, confusing feelings. Well, he couldn't possibly get both by staying in the room all the time. He looked out the window. The sun was shining brightly and he figured that it would be a good time to train. Most of his injuries were almost healed if they weren't already. He needed to keep his body in top condition. For what? He'll figure it out eventually.

He stood up and walked to the door. He opened it and peeked outside. Itachi was nowhere in sight. He quietly made his way down the corridor, hoping that the prodigy would not show up. He didn't think he could deal with the older Uchiha right now.

As soon as he got out of the house, he stretched as he took a deep breath. He'll worry later. For now, he'll just do some mindless training. Hopefully, he'd be too exhausted to think of anything later on especially about a certain raven-haired nin.

-----

Itachi watched Sasuke train from his bedroom window. The younger boy had been at it for hours. The prodigy had already gone into the younger Uchiha's room to pick up the tray, fix the bed, pull out a new set of clothes for the heir, gone down to wash the dishes and did the laundry. And the younger boy still wasn't done. At the rate Sasuke was going, he was going to tire himself out and collapse out on the yard and probably make his already healing condition much worse.

The genius couldn't blame him. Having the one he thought was his brother and the one who massacred the clan for him acting like a mere servant was most likely confusing. Itachi wanted, no, needed to keep a god distance between him and the younger boy. Perhaps it he did that, he could keep his dirty, bloodstained hands to himself and make it easier for the young heir to kill him later on. _I love Sasuke. That's why I can't and won't taint him with my filth and I can't let him feel anything other than utter hatred for me._ It would be the proper thing to do.

__

"What's proper isn't necessarily right!"

What Sasuke said was true. Doing what he had been doing for the past week, acting like a lowly servant may have been proper but it just didn't feel right. But if he did what he felt was right, he would not be able to hold himself back from touching the boy and maybe do something irreversible and unforgivable. What felt right to him was to hold the younger Uchiha and never let go. But he couldn't do that. Sasuke would have to return to Konoha one day and kill him. Whqat he was doing now was only for the best.

He watched Sasuke venting out his anger and frustration on a harmless tree and noticed the boy's knuckled were bleeding. He figured that it was about time that he stopped the younger Uchiha before he did further harm and injury to himself. He slowly made his way out of the room, down the stairs, out the front door and into the yard.

He found the Uchiha heir panting harshly against the tree he had been punching and kicking. His eyes were red. The Sharingan activated. Those eyes focused on him as he merely stood at the front steps.

"You should go back to bed and rest. Over-exerting yourself in your current state can't be good for you," Itachi said as he lowered his eyes to the ground. He could not meet the other boy's eyes knowing that he would see pain, confusion, anger and sadness in them.

Sasuke snorted. "I'm not over-exerting myself. I've just finished warming up." The prodigy's hand fisted in his sides. "You came just in time." The younger Uchiha poised himself in a fighting stance. "Spar with me."

The older Uchiha didn't have time to protest before the younger raven-haired boy launched himself at him, narrowly missing him as the boy landed a kick, causing a small indentation on the steps where he was previously standing on. The heir was not holding back. Not wanting to hurt the boy, Itachi merely dodged, evaded and blocked all the attacks. Judging from Sasuke's harsh breathing, he would not be sparring long.

He didn't know that whether it was bad timing or good that he grabbed the younger Uchiha's shoulders just as the boy's knees gave out. Both of them landed on the ground with him on top of the other with his hands bracing himself to keep from crushing the boy beneath him. His eyes widened, noticing the compromising position they were in. Sasuke with his eyes closed was too preoccupied with catching his breath to notice that his parted lips were tempting the older Uchiha immensely.

By the time the younger raven-haired boy opened his eyes, Itachi had leaned down and kissed him. It felt so good to feel those pliant lips beneath him, kissing him back. His hands wandered under the younger Uchiha's shirt and touched the boy in places he knew he shouldn't be touching, their bodies pressing even closer. He could smell the lavender scent of Sasuke's soap and shampoo with the scent of sweat and blood and the grass under them. It was intoxicating. He couldn't get enough and the younger Uchiha was so unbelievably willing, hands tangling in his hair, dislodging the band of his ponytail. They parted for air before their lips met once more, tongues dancing against each other. The other moaned. Or was it him? He ground their hips together causing them both to moan loudly. The prodigy moved his mouth lower, down the pale, tantalizing column of Sasuke's neck, pausing to lick at the bared collarbone before pushing the shirt high to lick and suck at those pert nipples.

"Please..."

Itachi looked up and saw the glazed look the younger Uchiha was giving him, his parted, kiss-swollen lips glistening with their intermingled saliva.

"Itachi..."

The prodigy's eyes widened, realizing what he was doing. He quickly pushed himself away, distancing himself from the other, trying to slow his rapidly beating heart. Sasuke slowly sat up, his eyes showing confusion as to why the genius suddenly stopped, his pale cheeks flushed pick from their previous activity, the sleeve of his shirt slipping down, baring a pale shoulder. It was seductively enticing that Itachi had to turn away, his back to the younger boy. "I... I'm sorry. I better go," he stammered. He was about to flee when the younger Uchiha called out to him.

"Itachi! Wait..."

The prodigy dared a glance back and saw the boy struggling to get up.

"Help me up. My legs don't seem to be listening to me right now."

Itachi bit his lip and steeled himself. He walked back and helped the Uchiha heir up. Sasuke was standing on his own for a few moments before his tired legs gave out again and the prodigy caught him. The older Uchiha squeezed his eyes shut as the lavender scent invaded his senses once more. He had to exert a lot of force to keep his body under control. Sasuke was in no condition to walk back to his room, much more, fend him off. He would have to carry him back, his mind rationalized.

He hefted the boy onto his back like he used to when they were younger. The younger Uchiha's scent wouldn't leave him be. It taunted him, enticing him to lose all inhibitions and have his way with the heir. He pointedly tried not to look at the raven-haired boy perched on his back as the boy's arms wrapped tightly around him and sighed.

The trek back to the younger Uchiha's room seemed to take an eternity with the scents invading his senses, the feel of Sasuke's body on his back, the arms wrapped tightly around him and the boy's breath on his ear. It was maddening just trying to keep himself in check. Maybe it was a bad idea to carry the younger boy back to his room. But it was too late to back out now.

He struggled with the doorknob for a moment before managing to get into the room and depositing Sasuke on the bed. He had to pry the younger Uchiha's arms from him to be able to get away and put him an arm's length away. He gave a curt bow and turned to leave but a hand latched onto his, stopping him in his tracks.

"Wait." Itachi looked back. Sasuke was looking at him imploringly. "Please... don't go."

He glanced at the hand in his and saw the bloody knuckles. He looked back at the younger Uchiha and placed the hand back on the boy's lap. "I'll be right back."

He left and returned moments later with some clean bandages and some medicine. He sat down on the bed beside the Uchiha heir and cleaned the wounds on the younger boy's hand as gently as he could, stopping every now and then every time the other winced. "You shouldn't have done this to yourself."

"You were confusing me. I couldn't think straight. One minute you were so close and hot and then the next minute you were cold and distant. I didn't know what to do with you," Sasuke offered his explanation for his actions.

"I'm sorry," was the only thing the prodigy could say.

They lapsed into silence as the older Uchiha applied medicine on the wounds. It was only broken when the younger raven-haired boy spoke again.

"Have you found a way to remove the cursed seal? Please tell me."

Itachi stiffened but did not stop bandaging the boy's hand. "Yes, I did." He made sure that the bandages were secure before putting the other boy'' hands back on their owner's lap and continuing, "One way of removing the seal would be to kill Orochimaru. The seal is a form of possession. We either destroy the one who made it or we destroy the source where it is connected. Since it would prove to be more difficult to kill that snake bastard, the other alternative would be to kill me because I was the one who gave you the hatred that the seal draws power from."

The younger Uchiha shook his head. "No. No. There has to be some other way."

"Killing me would be an easy task. I can assure you of that."

"No! I can't do that. It's not right..."

"But it's the proper thing to do. For the clan and for your future safety, it would be for the best." Itachi deliberately left out the possibility of removing the seal by making the other fall in love with him. It would be a hard and painful decision for the boy to make.

Tears streamed down Sasuke's cheeks. "Even if it were so, I still wouldn't be able to do it... because I can't! It still wouldn't be right!"

"I can kill myself if you want. Just say the word and I'll do it. It's as easy as that."

"No." The boy shook his head. "I can't let you do that."

"I'm not lying. I can prove it." Itachi pulled out a kunai and poised it over his wrist. "Watch me." He applied a bit of pressure, breaking the skin and drawing blood from his arm. The cut didn't go deeper as a hand stopped him. His eyes widened as Sasuke pressed his lips against his, the boy's eyes closed as tears continued to trickle down his pale cheeks.

Then the younger Uchiha drew away, opening his eyes. "Stop. It's hurting me. I don't want you to die."

"Sasuke..."

The younger boy looked away. "If it ever came down to it, I still wouldn't kill you and neither would I ask you to die for me."

"But..." His eyes narrowed in anger. The prodigy growled, "Are you mad, Sasuke? You have to!"

"No. Never."

"Why?!"

"Because I don't hate you, not as much as I did before."

"But still –"

"I hated you because I had to. It was the proper thing to do. But now I realized that doing what's proper is different from doing what's right." The younger raven-haired boy looked at him and placed a hand over his heart. "Killing you may be the proper thing to do but it doesn't feel right here."

"Sasuke, I..."

"It pains me to think of hurting you... I think that the demons haunting me were never hatred and revenge... but guilt and denial."

Itachi tilted Sasuke's chin up to meet his eyes. "Sasuke, you can't."

"I love you. I think I've always had. I just didn't want to acknowledge it."

The prodigy's expression was pained as he saw the earnest expression on the younger Uchiha's face. His hand dropped from the boy's chin and he shook his head. "You can't, Sasuke. I'm returning you to Konoha when you're well enough to make the journey."

The younger boy bit his lip. "Why?"

"You can't love a criminal like me. You'll be tainted by my sins, the blood on my hands." Itachi stared at the trembling clenched fists on his lap.

"Itachi, I –"

The prodigy abruptly stood up. "I'm sorry." Then, he left the room, leaving the younger boy to stare after him. He closed the door and buried his face in his hands, a sob escaping his lips. Sasuke had just told him he loved him. He should have been happy but he wasn't. He knew that he could not make Sasuke happy, being the criminal that he was and knowing the crimes he had done. It would be better to let the younger Uchiha go, no matter how hard and painful it would be for him to do so.

-----

Iruka hastily scribbled his report, stopping every now and then to look out the window and sigh. Things were so hectic lately. He missed his students. He missed teaching. He tried to stifle a yawn before resuming his task. He felt so tired. He hadn't been able to rest much with all the missions and the report writings. He didn't have a mission right now but he figured that instead of resting, he'd finish all the reports he had to write before they got piled up too high. It would be more productive that way.

Just then, he was startled when someone waved a can of coffee in his face. That said someone was a certain perverted jounin currently reading his beloved yet perverted book with that perverted look in his visible eye. "Take a break. You look like you need it."

The younger man took the offered can gratefully. Thank you, Kakashi-sensei. But I can't until I finish doing this first."

The jounin's eye shifted from his book to the chuunin. Both of them stared at each other, not backing down. The other nins watched the scene with mild interest and fascination. A stubborn Iruka rarely clashed with an equally stubborn Kakashi but when they did, it was bound to be entertaining.

Moments later, there was a yelp and some of the other nins fell out of their seats in laughter as Kakashi threw a struggling Iruka over his shoulder and started walking towards the door out while reading his book.

"Kakashi-san, put me down! I have to finish my report!"

"Nonsense! You have all the time to finish it later. Right now, you need a break."

"Put me down!"

"Hmm... No."

Iruka sighed and resigned himself to being taken to whatever place the jounin had in mind to take him to. Minutes later, the older man placed him down on top of the Hokage monument.

"There you go. The fresh air will do you some good."

The dolphin looked out on the view of the village, a small smile gracing his lips. The sun was just setting over the horizon. "Aa. Thank you, Kakashi-san."

Kakashi waved it off. "Don't mention it. I was just worried you'd run yourself ragged."

The chuunin blushed. "Ah... I see." The jounin was worried about him? That was so sweet.

"Besides, it wouldn't be good if you turned yourself into an old man overnight. Think of all the children you'll traumatize."

Iruka pouted indignantly. So much for the jounin being sweet. He could never really tell what the older man was thinking. The man was such an enigma. Then he remembered something and frowned. "I heard that Hokage-sama retracted her order to bring Sasuke back at all costs. What's going to happen to him now?"

"Hmm... Maa, I don't really know. I'm not exactly sure of what I've heard but..." The jounin shrugged. "I'm sure things will work out somehow. I trust... the Hokage's judgment on this matter."

The younger man pulled the tab off the can in his hand. "I see." Then he took a long sip and swallowed, savoring the taste of the warm, brown liquid. "How is the rest of Team Seven taking it?"

"Well enough. Sakura's keeping herself busy with all the volunteer work she's been doing lately when she's not asking Lee-san to help her with a bit of taijutsu. Naruto's occupied with keeping the Sand siblings, particularly Gaara, company. They and the other rookies did express their hopes that Sasuke would come back soon."

"And you?"

"What about me?"

"How are you taking it?"

The older man closed his book and sighed. "As well as can be expected. Just worried since we don't exactly know what's going to happen to him given his present company."

Iruka tilted his head. "Present company? He's not with Orochimaru, is he? I mean, they did manage to stop him right?"

"Hn. With Orochimaru, we can be certain of what he would do to the boy. But... that man is unpredictable. There's no telling what could happen."

"And that man would be?"

"Uchiha Itachi."

The chuunin's eyes widened. "Itachi? You mean..."

"Aa."

The wind blew as they lapsed into silence. Iruka stared at his drink for a moment before gulping it all down. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Aah... I should go. Thank you again, Kakashi-san. I should get back to work."

"Iruka..."

"Hmm?"

The younger man was startled when he felt the jounin's cloth-covered lips brush lightly against his cheek. "Be careful. Don't push yourself too hard." Then the other man was gone.

It was a while before Iruka got back to the office, thinking about a silver-gray-haired jounin who read perverted books.

-----

Itachi came into the room to bring Sasuke some food and medicine. It had already been three days since the younger boy confessed his feelings to him. They had not spoken of it at all and had barely spoken to each other, as the other seemed to be in deep thought most of the time. He did not have to look at the younger Uchiha right now to know that the other was staring. He quietly crossed the room and set the tray on the table. The other boy got up from the bed, sat down on the chair provided and stared down on the food. Feeling that there was going to be another draining argument like the last time, the prodigy turned to leave.

"I've been thinking about it." The genius froze in his tracks when the Uchiha heir spoke. "You're right. I do have to go back to Konoha. The others must be worried already. It would be selfish of me to keep staying here and being a nuisance for you." The younger boy took a deep breath. "Would you... be with me when I go back?"

Itachi closed his eyes. "Aa. I will, at least until the main gates."

"I see."

Seconds ticked by with neither of them saying anything. The silence was deafening. The prodigy waited with bated breath for the younger Uchiha to speak.

"Itachi..."

The older Uchiha's heart skipped a beat. He turned to look at the younger boy. "What is it, Sasuke?"

"I'm not going back to the village until every cut, every scratch, every bruise... heals."

The prodigy gave the other a slight nod. "If that's what you want..." Feeling that it was the end of the discussion he turned to leave.

"But..."

Itachi stopped. It wasn't over yet? What more could the younger Uchiha say? "But...?" he prompted.

"Until that happens, I want us to pretend that nothing's wrong, that nothing is as complicated as it is now. I want us to pretend that what happened in the past never happened. I don't want there to be any barriers between us either." The prodigy's eyes widened at what Sasuke said next. "I want you to love me the way you should have a long time ago."

The genius jerked his head to look back at the younger boy, his eyes still wide in shock. "Sasuke...!"

The younger Uchiha lowered his lashes and whispered, "I just want to know what it feels like to be truly loved by you before I have to cut you out of my life completely. I love you so much that I don't think that I – hmph!"

Itachi didn't let the boy finish as he moved closer and crushed his lips against the other's own. The kiss was demanding, full of desire, longing, desperation and relief. His tongue coaxed the younger boy's own into play, pouring himself into every twine and brush of lips and tongue. And when he drew away slowly, he held nothing back, looking Sasuke in the eye. "I love you, Sasuke." He sank to his knees. "I love you. I love you." He wrapped his arms around that small waist and buried his face in the Uchiha heir's lap. "I love you so much." Every word he uttered next was muffled but the younger boy seemed to understand as Sasuke combed his fingers through the prodigy's hair.

When Itachi finally quieted down, they remained in that position, his head rested on the younger Uchiha's lap with the heir's hands in his hair. He quietly purred every now and then, appreciating the soothing movement of Sasuke running his fingers through his long hair. For that moment, they were content as they were. There were no distinctions between them. They were just two lovers enjoying each other's company with no one to judge them for whatever sins they may have made and would be making together.

The prodigy silently thanked whichever god gave him this brief chance to be blissfully happy and content, to be with the one he loved. He was grateful that Sasuke was giving them this one chance. If he were to die at the end of all this, he would go with no regrets whatsoever. He would use this opportunity to show just how deeply he loved the younger raven-haired boy.

Then he blinked. He looked up. "Sasuke..."

"Hmm..." The younger Uchiha flashed him a radiant smile.

"Your food's getting cold."

Sasuke stared at him for a moment and blinked. The younger boy looked at the food on the table and grinned. "So it would seem... Why don't you sit here..." The boy patted the empty chair beside him. "... and feed me?"

Itachi felt his lips curl into a smile. "Aa." He got up and sat beside the other. He picked up a spook and proceeded to feed the other boy. It wasn't long before Sasuke refused to open his mouth and kept shaking his head with a mischievous smile on his lips whenever the older Uchiha raised the spoon to his lips. It puzzled him. What new idea had the younger boy thought up? He glanced at the food then at the other and it finally dawned to him what the younger Uchiha wanted. He put a small amount of food from the spoon into his mouth and motioned the other to come closer. Sasuke got up and sat on his lap facing him instead before eagerly opening his mouth for the prodigy to plunder. It didn't take long before the spoon fell onto the floor and the food was forgotten as they both were engrossed in trying to eat out of each other's mouth. Their movements were frantic and wild as their shirts landed in crumpled heaps at their feet. Their hands roamed everywhere, touching every bared inch of skin, their hips grinding together with as much movement as their position would allow.

Itachi broke their lip-lock and Sasuke growled, "We are not stopping... Again."

The prodigy, gasping for breath, replied, "Don't intend to. The bed..." He carried the other boy, his hands on the younger Uchiha's cloth-covered ass, kissing each other wildly and passionately.

Somehow, they got to the large bed, falling into it with him on top of the other. They lay there kissing, groping, hips grinding madly. Then Sasuke cried out his release, his body arching up, hands clutched tightly at the prodigy's shoulders, leaving half-crescents. Seeing the blissful expression on the younger Uchiha's face that did it for the older raven-haired boy as he came, shuddering his release.

"Oh god, oh god, oh god..."

Minutes later, they laid in each other's arms, contentedly basking in the afterglow. It was a while before Itachi's breathing returned to normal and he propped himself on his elbows, smiling at the boy beneath him. "So... how was that?"

Sasuke smiled back at him. "That was... intense. Will we be doing that often?"

The genius chuckled and pressed their sweat-damped foreheads together. "As often as you want, love."

"Really?"

The hopefulness in the younger boy's expression made him chuckled once more in amusement. "Really." Feeling he stickiness in his shorts, he got up. "But first, we have to get cleaned up." He disappeared into the bathroom and emerged naked with a damp towel in hand. He removed the shorts and briefs from the other boy and threw the articles of clothing to where their shirts were before wiping the white, sticky substance from between Sasuke's legs. Then he threw the towel aside and got onto the bed. He tucked himself and the younger Uchiha under the blanket. And the both fell asleep, curled up contentedly against each other. Nothing else mattered. The rest of the world can wait.

-----

"Anou sa, anou sa! Gaara, let's go have ramen together!"

Gaara stared at the hyperactive blond incredulously. "Again? We just had ramen for lunch earlier." _And the meal before that and the one before that one too. Come to think of it, we've been having it all week._ "Don't you ever get tired of eating it?"

Naruto grinned at the red-haired boy. "No. I love ramen. I'll never get tired of it."

The Sand nin shook his head, amused, and sighed. He motioned the other boy to lead the way, earning a whoop of joy from the other. Sometimes he wondered why he humored the blond. He found Naruto fascinating to observe. True but he found that he didn't really mind letting the loud ninja have his way. He didn't really talk much, letting the blond do all the talking. So he should really be wondering why the blue-eyed boy put up with him. He wasn't exactly what one would consider as the ideal company. He was boring as hell with social skills close to nil. He had no prior knowledge of "having fun," given his past. His tone was mostly deadpanned with rarely an ounce of emotion. As he said, he was not exactly the ideal company, especially for someone as lively as Uzumaki Naruto.

He was startled when the other boy suddenly stopped and stared at him with a serious expression on the blond's face. "What's wrong? You look as if hell just froze over and the human race was being overrun by millions of mini Orochimarus."

Gaara grimaced at the image. Imagining a world of mini Orochimarus everywhere was not a pretty picture. One snake bastard was more than enough for one lifetime to deal with. He shook his head clear of the image and scowled. "Very funny, Naruto. As much as I appreciate your bravery in conjuring such a... frightening and terrifying image, I think that one snake bastard is already one too many. Thank you very much."

The hyperactive ninja grinned sheepishly. "Hehe. So what were you thinking about?"

The red-haired genin paused for a moment, considering whether or not to tell the blue-eyed boy. Then he shrugged to himself. _Oh what the heck._ "I was just wondering why you put up with me."

The blond cocked his head to the side, a confused expression on his face. "Eh?"

"I have no social skills whatsoever. I don't know how to have fun. I must be as boring as heck."

Naruto replied, "Oh? Really?" The blue-eyed blond smiled. It was so bright and radiant despite the darkness of the night that it took the Sand nin's breath away. "You seem to be doing okay to me."

The red-haired boy felt the blood rush to his face. He was blushing profusely. The hyperactive blond paid it no heed as he grabbed the Sand shinobi's hand and ran, dragging the Sand demon bearer behind him. "Hurry before Oji-san closes shop!"

Gaara said no more, smiling as he allowed himself to be led by the hand by a boy who was as bright as sunshine with eyes as blue as the sky.

-----

Neji woke up as the sunlight filtered through the pristine white curtains of the equally white hospital room. He squinted, giving his pale eyes time to adjust to the light. He looked down to see the adorable sight of Shikamaru sprawled half on the bed and half on the bedside chair fast asleep. _Adorable?_ He mentally shook himself. That was one word that definitely did not exist in his vocabulary... until recently. And so did a lot of other words, all of them he had come to associate with one thing, well rather one person, Nara Shikamaru. And boring was definitely not one of them. The normally lazy chuunin had never really caught his attention before Sasuke pulled his little stunt of running away from Konoha. During the mission, he had caught glimpses of someone who wasn't really lazy, just unmotivated.

He had seen a side of the younger boy that usually hid behind a lazy facade. The other boy kept that side of himself, filled with intelligence, loyalty and great care and concern for others, well hidden. It didn't have to take a genius to know that Shikamaru was different, unique.

The chuunin had spent the past week keeping him company even though they barely knew each other. True, the other, Tenten, Lee and Gai-sensei in particular, came to visit but it was the brown-haired chuunin that he would first see when he opened his eyes in the morning and the last when he closed his eyes to sleep. He found it really strange that the younger boy kept coming back and that he found himself looking forward to seeing the other. They never really talked much. Their conversations merely resembled status reports on how everyone was doing, with some snarky reply and bitchy comments from the chuunin every so often. There were times when they'' just ponder over their game of Go in silence as Shikamaru would ask him to play every now and then because the younger boy found it too troublesome to just sit around and do nothing but stare at him all day. He had never won a single game but he found that he actually enjoyed it. He liked seeing Shikamaru'' face as the younger boy's eyes would furrow in concentration and bite his lip if a particular move was hard enough.

Right now, the brown-haired boy was sleeping rather peacefully, blissfully unaware of the pale eyes that watched him slumber. It would be a shame to wake the other now when Neji could simply enjoy himself watching him sleep. But a quick glance at the clock told him that the chuunin was going to be late for his training with his father. He distinctly remembered the younger boy complaining about it last night and also knew that the boy's father did not like his son coming in late. The young Hyuga shook the boy's shoulder gently. "Shikamaru-san."

Shikamaru's eyes fluttered open, focusing on him sleepily. "What?"

"You're late."

"Late?"

"For training."

"Oh." The young chuunin scratched the back of his head, yawning as he stretched.

Neji raised a brow and commented, "Any slower and you'll actually make it for tomorrow's training."

The other snorted. "Yeah, yeah. I'm going. I'm going. So troublesome. What a hassle..." he grumbled. Shikamaru stood up and walked to the door. He gave a lazy wave as he walked out of the room.

The young Hyuga smiled, knowing that the chuunin would be back later no matter what state he was in.

-----

TBC

Author's notes: Well that was longer than expected. I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I had a really good time writing it. Everything just came out smoothly. Sasuke's thoughts were meant to be confusing in case anyone noticed. It's usually in Itachi's scenes though that made me want to slap him myself. He's such a stubborn ass. But at least he gave in at the end and actually enjoyed himself. Hehehe. Managed to write a decent enough Neji scene. I just hope that he wasn't too OOC... There's a KakaIru scene somewhere... Yeah... and a GaaraNaru scene too...

Please review. Flamers can go to hell and kiss Zabuza's ass!

Started: July 7, 2004

Ended: July 13, 2004

Worked on: July 7, 9, 11, 12

Transferred to Word: July 13, 2004


	5. Chapter Four: Don't Leave Me

Disclaimer: Don't own Naruto. Enough said.

Author's notes: Took me a while to get this up... Don't kill me?

-Chapter 4: Don't Leave Me...-

When Sasuke woke up, he sleepily glanced at the empty space beside him. He didn't panic and neither did he worry. He could still feel the warmth of the person he slept with. It mean that the other boy had recently just got out of bed. The sound of the shower running confirmed it. He shamelessly inhaled the scent from the pillow and smelled a hint of cinnamon. He wondered briefly where the prodigy got it from.

He felt a bit freer now. He was feeling much better after letting it all out. He had thought about his situation with Itachi for three days and was happy with his decision. He truly did want to feel what it was like to be loved by the person he loved most. The older raven-haired boy made him feel so many things at once – love, thrill, passion – and last night was no exception. He wasn't going to run anymore. He was content just being right where he was now. There was no need to think about duty. There were no obligations except to himself and Itachi – being a good lover. He sighed and got off the bed, padding towards the bathroom. Thank god it wasn't locked.

He grinned as he spied a naked prodigy under the shower's spray, eyes closed. He slowly and quietly crept into the shower and wrapped his arms against the older boy's waist and leaning against the other's back. This earned him an amused chuckle that sent shivers down his spine.

"I was wondering when you'd decide to join me."

Sasuke licked the small of the prodigy's back. "I was wondering if you'd let me."

The genius turned around. "Of course I would." He leaned down until their lips were almost touching. The younger Uchiha could feel the other's breath, his own lips slightly parted. "I'll do anything you want, Sasuke," the older Uchiha whispered before sealing their lips together.

Their kiss was not as wild and desperate as the previous times but it still held the same passion and intensity. It still took his breath away. There was no way to fully describe Itachi's kisses. It was simply perfect.

When they broke away, Sasuke sighed contentedly. They washed each other slowly, exploring each other as they did so. Then the prodigy moaned as the younger boy held his manhood with his hand, teasing the older Uchiha with light and gentle touches, watching the play of emotions on the prodigy's face. The Uchiha heir found that he liked watching the older boy as he pleasured him. Itachi's eyes fluttered. He bit his lip, a moan escaping him every now and then. The prodigy's hands would clench and unclench at his sides as if to keep himself from reaching out and dragging the younger Uchiha against him. His entire body was trembling in need. Sasuke thought that the genius wouldn't be standing had he not been leaning against the tiled wall. It made him hot all over just thinking how much power he had over the other to affect him that much. He mischievously grinned and stopped his ministrations, drawing a groan from the very much aroused older boy.

"You liked that?"

Itachi didn't reply as he crushed their lips together, pressing Sasuke against him, making the younger Uchiha feel his need pressed onto the younger boy's stomach. Perhaps... that was the answer. Sasuke felt himself smile as they continued to meld their lips together. The older boy broke their kiss long enough to whisper in Sasuke's ear, "Sasuke, you little tease." Then he captured the younger Uchiha's lips once more.

The young heir wasn't aware that somehow, the prodigy had turned the shower off and got them out of the bathroom until he found himself lying in bed, pinned by the older Uchiha's body. Their bodies were moving frantically against each other in disjoined unison, panting and moaning in lust.

And when it was over, they laid there spent with Itachi still on top of him, breathing into his ear as they tried to catch their breaths. Sasuke stared up as the canopy still a bit dazed as the prodigy kissed the side of his neck. "Was is really that good?"

"Hmm?"

"In the shower," the younger boy clarified.

"Hmm..." The genius nibbled at his ear. "It was better than good."

The younger raven-haired boy sighed contentedly as the older Uchiha lavished attention to a spot just below his ear, his hand at the back of the other's head as if to keep him there. Then the genius pushed himself up onto his elbows and ran a teasing finger down Sasuke's nose.

"We need another shower."

"Really?" The younger Uchiha sounded so eager that it elicited a chuckle from the S-ranked criminal.

"Yes, we do," Itachi said as he carried the boy back into the bathroom, where he soon had the younger Uchiha pinned against the wall under the shower with the Uchiha heir screaming his name as he put his mouth to good use.

It was a while before they got out of their extended shower but Sasuke didn't mind it at all.

-----

Itachi sighed happily as he and Sasuke walked around the small town near where they were staying, their hands laced together. The town was out of place and far from other towns and villages, which was good since they wouldn't recognize them. The Uchiha heir had requested that they got out of the mansion and go somewhere else.

"I've been meaning to ask you. Where did you get the cinnamon scent from?"

The prodigy smiled. "I suppose I got it from the incense I keep burning. I think I've been overdoing it these past few days though."

"Incense?"

He shrugged. "It helped me keep calm when I thought of you."

"I like it. Where did you get it?"

The older raven-haired Uchiha chuckled. "Curious aren't we? I got it from a shop in this town. There's a nice old lady who sells it and a couple of other things, too." He led the younger boy towards the said shop and entered.

The old woman behind the counter looked up and smiled. "Ah, Itachi-san, you're back." He peeked at the younger Uchiha hiding shyly behind him. "And who's your friend?"

He drew Sasuke forward and placed an arm around the boy's waist. "Obaasan, this is Sasuke."

She chuckled. "Oh so you're the boy this young man's been talking about. You're lucky since you're all Itachi-san could talk about."

Itachi scratched the back of his head, embarrassed. "Obaasan..."

Sasuke smiled then grinned mischievously at him. "Oh really?"

The prodigy felt the blood rush to his face. He knew his face was probably as red as tomato. The old woman laughed.

"So what brings you here? Surely not for incense." She sounded very much amused.

"Well, actually, I wanted you to meet Sasuke."

"Hmm..." the storekeeper moved around the counter to scrutinize the younger boy more closely. "Hmm..." She tilted the Uchiha heir's chin and smiled before commenting, "My, my, you two look so much alike that I do believe you must be soul mates."

At that, Sasuke smiled at him and he smiled back. It was a light and giddy feeling, being in a place where no one knew who they were and could condemn them for what they were doing together. If only it could lasf forever... but it wouldn't. It couldn't. He had seen the healing wounds on the younger Uchiha's body. It would take only a few more days for al of them to heal, a week at most. Then he would have to take Sasuke back and they would have to part ways... possibly forever.

Itachi mentally shook himself. This was not the time to entertain such thoughts. What mattered now was to make most of what precious little time they were going to have together.

"Oh really? He did?"

"Yes. He brought them just the other day."

The prodigy raised a brow. He had spaced out for a considerably long amount of time and now he had no idea what they were talking about. "What are you two talking about?" he voiced out.

They both stared at each other then at him and chorused, "Hibiscus tea."

The genius reddened at the mention of the tea. There was a grin on the younger Uchiha's lips. The older raven-haired boy could practically see the wheels turning in the boy's head. It most likely included the use of the aforementioned tea and a bed, not that he was averse to the idea.

"You didn't tell me you bought something like that."

"Well, I... Sasuke, I... Err..." the older Uchiha stammered.

"Oh, don't tell me you haven't even used it yet," the old woman said.

"I..."

"I suggest that you two young ones go back to your room and try it out. Come back when you get results," she said as she winked.

Sasuke turned pink while he turned as red as humanly possible. The old shopkeeper laughed as she shooed them away, which is how they ended up sitting down on the floor, drinking tea beside the younger boy's bed with the younger Uchiha sitting between his legs with his firm rump pressed against he older boy's crotch. Itachi felt his nose threatening to bleed as Sasuke's scent assailed his senses coupled with the fact that the Uchiha heir's body/back was pressed against his front. Perverted thoughts flitted through his mind. At this rate, de didn't need to drink the damn tea.

"This is nice," the younger raven-haired boy remarked, pertaining to the tea.

_I could think of nicer things..._ Itachi thought. It took a lot of effort to keep his free hand and the hand holding the cup from dropping everything else and just molest the younger boy right then and there on the floor. He held on tightly to his control and simply drank the warm liquid, his grip on the porcelain cup was so hard that if he placed any more pressure, he feared the cup would break. Sasuke remained oblivious to his internal battle, simply sitting back and savoring the reddish liquid. Then the younger boy shifted, his ass brushing more against his sex. Itachi bit back a moan. Keeping himself in check was getting harder as the minutes passed, just like another part of him that he was trying to ignore at the moment.

"Itachi?"

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to?" The younger Uchiha placed his cup down and looked at him, cheeks tinged pink.

The older Uchiha felt the blood rushing to his face, a bit lightheaded. "I... Ah... No?"

Sasuke smiled and turned around. "Really?" he said teasingly.

"Sasuke, I don't think –" He was stopped when the Uchiha heir pressed a finger to his lips.

"You think too much," Sasuke whispered before sealing their lips together.

They took their time exploring each other's bodies, pleasuring each other with every touch just as they had done that morning, taking care to be gentle with their touches and caresses. They may make a mess on the floor later but it was worth it.

_That stuff really does work._ Itachi hazily thought later on as he stared at the ceiling with Sasuke snuggled beside him, spent and very much content.

-----

In a chamber in the village of Sound, Orochimaru threw his glass aside, letting it shatter on the far wall. This body was not as satisfactory as the body he wanted. Damn Tsunade for delaying the young Uchiha's arrival. His anger was compounded by the fact that the Uchiha's older brother had interfered at the last moment. He almost had Sasuke in his clutches!

He wanted to vent his anger at someone, something, anything! Had he known there would be such large setbacks, he would've killed the blonde bearer of the Nine-tailed Fox bac the Forest of Death during the second Chuunin Exam. It would've saved him a lot of trouble. Now Itachi was involved as well. He didn't know what the older Uchiha had done but the cursed seal on Sasuke's neck was getting weaker as if it was losing its hold over the younger boy. He could feel it. He had to do something to stop it from completely fading away.

Finding the boy was no problem but the prodigy was. He did not have the power to defeat the genius. Not even with Kabuto could he defeat the older Uchiha. There had to be some other way...

Then the door opened and Kabuto entered. "Orochimaru-sama, your former associates are here."

Akatsuki? "What do they want?"

"They say they want to make a deal."

"Hmm..." He contemplated whether it would be wise to make a deal with the people who sent that damn interfering prodigy to kill him. But they did have the resources to put the older Uchiha out of his hair for good.

Kabuto's glasses gleamed. "Should I send them away?"

The snake smirked. "No, there's no need. I'll bargain with them." Yes, he would strike a deal. Surely that organization could afford to lose one prodigy when they had much more at their disposal.

-----

Konohamaru found the red-haired ninja with Naruto quite weird. He had been following them with Moegi and Udon for hours now and the guy had yet to say anything unless spoken to. Even Sasuke spoke more. Compared to him, Sasuke was a chatterbox. Aside from that, they have yet to have a chance at sneaking up to the blonde since that weird Sand nin would always see them first, his frightening eyes telling them to buzz off every time. It was frustrating.

But Naruto seemed to do just fine around the guy, which was just strange. The strange and the weird, know the difference. Konohamaru thought to himself. It was getting kind of boring just watching them. Moegi and Udon were already complaining. He supposed it was time to do something else besides stalking the strange blonde and his weird friend.

If Naruto found this Sand nin okay, then it should be okay for now. He'll just have to reserve further judgment for later then.

-----

Shikamaru yawned as he sat beside the hospital bed as Neji slept. He had always been reluctant to leave the older boy alone even when the said older boy was asleep. It was totally unlike him to do this sort of thing. He was a lazy-assed shinobi for crying out loud. Now, whenever he met up with Ino, she'd take the opportunity to tease him. He could hear his reputation flushing down the toilet, not that it was much of reputation to begin with. It was all so troublesome. Girls and their bothersome propensity to be great busybodies... The thought was giving him a great big headache. He rubbed his temples. So troublesome.

His mother found it as some sort of great miracle that he was doing something like this instead of being prodded to do it. So he had a problem. No big deal.

**The hell it ain't!** his mind screamed.

Shikamaru sighed. _Why do I even bother?_

**Because you like him?** His mind offered.

_Oh, shut up. You're giving me a headache._

**You know that talking to yourself and telling yourself to shut up are very contradictory, don't you?**

_ARGH! Just shut the hell up and go away! It's too early to deal with something so bothersome._

**Oh, hello...! I live here you moron. And it's already mid-afternoon.**

Shikamaru sighed.

"Shikamaru...?"

The chuunin nearly jumped at the sound of Neji's voice. He looked up sheepishly, feeling silly at being caught arguing with himself even if it was a silent one at that.

The older boy slowly pushed himself up with his good arm. "You're back early," he stated in a matter-of-fact manner.

Shikamaru snorted. "It's all because my old man decided that throwing himself at my mother's mercy wasn't as troublesome as training me." He sighed. "I personally think that he's crazy when it concerns her. Dealing with her is like throwing yourself into the jawas of hell."

"Uh... Shikamaru..."

"It's suicide, I tell you."

"Shikamaru..."

"I really think –"

"Think what?" a threatening feminine voice said behind him.

It was at that moment that the lazy-assed chuunin felt the looming and oppressive presence of his very own mother behind him. He slowly looked behind him and smiled weakly.

"I really think that I should learn to shut my trap. It's beginning to be too troublesome."

"That it is." She glared at him for a few moments before her expression transformed to that of a brightly smiling and motherly one. And that one, she directed at Neji. "So you must be Hyuga Neji. I've been hearing so much about you."

"Ah... hah..." It seemed that Neji's voice failed him as he stuttered and stammered a greeting.

_Who wouldn't be all flustered when facing a species even more complex and more powerful than the devil himself? Women..._ Shikamaru wryly thought. _So troublesome..._ "What are you doing here?"

She laughed. "What? It is so wrong for mother dear to see just what sort of miracle has been getting her lazy-assed son out of bed everyday?"

The chuunin blushed and muttered, "Mom..."

For some odd reason, Neji seemed to be blushing as well as the younger boy's mother laughed even more.

"Anyway, I came here to drop these off for you boys." She raised a bouquet of flowers and a small basket. "I figured you'd be sick of eating hospital food everyday now so I made you guys some home-cooked dishes." She dropped the basket on Shikamaru's lap and placed the flowers in a vase. She lightly patted her son's shoulder. "You boys enjoy yourselves now." Then she was gone.

They stared after her for a few moments before looking at each other.

"That was your mother?"

"Aa."

"She seems... nice."

Shikamaru scoffed at the older boy. "Come off it. She's overbearing, obnoxious and demanding just like Ino. She's your drill sergeant from hell."

Neji stared at him for moment before chuckling. "I think I like her."

It was chuunin's turn to stare at the recovering patient incredulously. "You're crazy. Why the hell would you?"

"Because without her, you wouldn't have been born. Without her, I wouldn't have met you."

-----

"Naruto," Gaara called the blonde's attention.

Naruto glanced at the red-haired nin. "Eh?"

The Sand shinobi pointed to a small shadowed figure. "That thing's been following us all day. "He said it in a monotone that would make people bristle if they were the subject being talked about.

There was a blur and Naruto found himself watching Konohamaru indignantly berating Gaara for blowing his cover and calling him a "thing". It was a bit amusing to watch. The Sand nin remained impassive and unaffected throughout while the younger boy was already red in the face and looked as if he was threatening to keel over from extreme high blood pressure with all the huffing and puffing.

"Oi, Konohamaru," Naruto said in greeting.

The Sandaime's grandson glared at him and pointed to Gaara. "I don't like him."

"The feeling's mutual, brat," the red-haired shinobi said in reply.

"Why you, you... YOU!"

"Spit it out and go away. You're annoying."

Konohamaru ducked and hugged Naruto's leg tightly. "Don't wanna!"

Gaara glared at the boy while the boy did the same to Gaara. Naruto gave them both a weak smile.

"Maa, maa. How about we all get some ramen?"

Two narrow-eyed gazes fixed on him.

"Ehehehe..." The blonde looked around and silently pleaded. _Help...?_ But it looked as if he was going to be alone in this bumpy ride with Konohamaru and Gaara. _Why me?_

-----

The days had gone by in a blur and Sasuke barely noticed them go by. It all seemed too fast. He leaned in and inspected himself in the mirror. The places where bruises and cuts had been were now smooth and pale, all completely healed. His face contorted in anguish and he cursed himself for healing so quickly.

There was a light knock on the door. "Sasuke? Is everything all right?"

_No, everything is NOT alright! I'm completely healed. I'm sure that you know that by now. How could you stand there so calmly?_

"You've been in there a while now."

Sasuke sighed. There was no way to avoid this. Even if he barricaded the bathroom door, he was sure that Itachi would break it down and drag him back to Konoha as what they'd agreed upon. The younger Uchiha grabbed a robe and slipped it on. _Time to face the music._

He threw the door open and launched himself into Itachi's arms. The prodigy was startled by his sudden movement and was not prepared to brace both their weights. They both fell to the floor.

"Sasuke? What's wrong?"

Sasuke shook his head and held on tightly. He didn't want to go back. He wanted to stay just right where he was.

The genius allowed him to hold on tightly for a few moments before shaking him loose. Itachi gave him a small smile. "Come on. Dinner's ready. You should eat."

Sasuke reluctantly complied and allowed himself to be steered towards the table. The food wasn't bad but he could barely taste it with his mind currently preoccupied with thoughts of avoiding the subject of going home and hoping that Itachi would forget the deal and let him stay.

The prodigy sighed as if noticing his bleak thoughts and put down his chopsticks. "Sasuke, you can't stay here forever."

The statement snapped the Uchiha heir out of his thoughts. "Why not?"

"It would be selfish o us to remain together and neglect our responsibilities."

Sasuke frowned and looked away. "Can't you just go back with me?"

"You know I can't." The younger Uchiha remained silent as the genius continued. "I know that you're already healed completely. We agreed that I'd take you back when that happens."

"I know that!" Sasuke snapped. "But I –" He stopped when he saw the determined expression on Itachi's face. He looked away once more, unable to meet the genius' gaze. "Is there no way for me to convince you to let me stay?" he asked, disheartened. _I want to stay here with you..._

The prodigy closed his eyes and shook his head. "I wish I could but no, I can't. You deserve much better than this."

_What could possibly be better than to spend the rest of you life with the one you love?_ Sasuke thought dejectedly. "You think I'd be happy with this?"

A hand grasped his chin gently and forced him to look at Itachi. "If you stay with me, I cannot guarantee you a good life. No one ever said we could live happily ever after."

Tears came unbidden and flowed freely down Sasuke's pale cheeks. He threw his arms around the prodigy and sobbed. "Hold me... And don't let go." And the older Uchiha held him tightly till he fell asleep.

-----

Itachi languidly dressed as Sasuke remained fast asleep. He really did not want to let the younger boy go. But he had to. He could not let Sasuke throw his future away from him. He did not want to wake the boy yet but they had to leave soon. The sooner he got out of the Uchiha heir's life, the sooner the boy would forget him and move on.

Everything seemed so unfair but that was life. People were never really meant to have what they wanted. _I was fortunate enough to at least have Sasuke even if the time we spent together was too short..._

He glanced back at the bed, part of him hoping that Sasuke would never wake so that they could stay together. But he knew that it wouldn't be right to be selfish and indulge himself in his own wants.

Then, he watched as the younger Uchiha's eyes fluttered open and felt his heart drop as their eyes met with the understanding that this may be the last time they may have together like this.

Itachi forced himself to smile. "Good morning, Sasuke."

The Uchiha heir blinked. "Good... morning..."

The prodigy observed the boy go about his business and getting himself ready to leave in silence. They left the mansion not long after to go on their long trek back to Konoha, where everything between them began. It would be fitting that it would also be the place where it will all end between them. It was not a comforting thought.

The silende was deafening. They had not said one word to each other since the initial morning greetings. Itachi's mind wandered. He wondered what Sasuke was thinking. What was going through the younger boy's mind as they walked together wordlessly? He was afraid to ask. No matter what the Uchiha heir thought, the genius knew it would break his heart to hear them.

Then his eyes widened and he placed a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. The boy looked at him questioningly. ITachi made no move to answer the younger Uchiha's questioning gaze, opting to stare straight ahead.

There was a strong scent of blood and rotting flesh. It was still a bit far from them but his honed senses distinguished the scents immediately. But this wasn't the only one. This was not good.

"Sasuke..."

"What's wrong?"

"When I tell you to go, I want you to run like hell. Find the Hokage and tell her."

"What? Tell her what? What's going on?"

The prodigy closed his eyes, preparing himself to use the Mangekyou Sharingan. Then his eyes opened bloody red. "Akatsuki."

-----

Sakura sat down on a bench near the village entrance and stared up at the sky. She was given a lot of free time today. The others were relieved. She had been spending all of her time working lately. They wanted her to take a break. But free time meant that she would have time to think. And thinking meant that her mind would be wandering towards Sasuke. And Sasuke wasn't here.

He was gone, taken away to who knows where by the brother he had sworn to kill. And she had not been able to stop him. She was worried. Uchiha Itachi may have promised to bring Sasuke back but what was to stop the S-ranked criminal from breaking that promise? Nothing. And the thought only made here all the more worried.

She frowned and shook her head. It was no use thinking of this. There was nothing she could do about the situation. She would just have to wait and believe that Sasuke would come back soon.

A commotion at the gate snapped her out of her thoughts. Out of curiosity, she stood up and drew closer to the center where the jounins seemed to be huddled over something. A closer look made her realize that there was blood on the ground, lots of it.

Her first thought made her blood freeze and her heart stopped for a few moments. _Sasuke?_ She went even closer and heard the people arguing.

"Just get him to the hospital!" The voice sounded familiar but the desperation behind it wasn't.

"Oi, oi. He's a criminal. Why should we help him?"

"He could die!"

"Then that's just one less criminal to worry about."

Sakura's eyes widened at the sight before her. An injured Sasuke was sitting in the middle of the crowd holding a bleeding raven-haired young man to his chest..

"You...!"

"Sas...uke..." the young man in Sasuke's arms hoarsely whispered.

The raven-haired genin looked down. "Don't speak! You should save your strength." The young man coughed up blood and smiled painfully at the young Uchiha. "It's alright... At least... I know that you're safe now... I... I brought you back... just like I promised..."

Sasuke shook his head, tears in his eyes as he held onto the man's body even tighter. It broke the pink-haired girl's heart to see the boy in that state. She watched as the raven-haired young man raised a shaking hand to the number one rookie's cheek,

"I... don't mind... it at all... dying here..."

"You're not going to die! You're not!"

"I just hope... that... that one day... you'd forgive me... I love you, Sasuke..."

Tears were flowing freely down Sasuke's cheeks as the hand slipped down and the man in his arms' eyes closed, body going limp. Sakura couldn't help but cry herself. Losing someone you loved was a painful thing. She silently cursed her empathy, making her too sensitive when it came her raven-haired crush. Sasuke sobbed and repeated "Don't leave me" over and over in slight whispers.

Her ears perked at the low whispers behind her. "How disgusting... They're brothers?"

"It's unnatural."

"Maybe it was only right that the Uchiha Clan's dead. At least they wouldn't have had to see this disgusting display."

"It would've been mortifying. Not only are they siblings, they're both male too."

Sakura's eyes widened. Brothers...? Then that man is... Sasuke-kun's brother, Uchiha Itachi...

Just then, the whispers died down and the growing crowd parted to let a blonde woman through. It was the Hokage.

"What's going on here?!" Tsunade barked.

"Aa... Ho-Hokage-sama! We..." one of the jounins said as he gestured to Sasuke and the criminal in his arms.

The Hokage took one look at the pitiful sight and her eyebrows furrowed. She walked forward and knelt beside the distraught genin, her eyes trained on the older Uchiha. She lightly rested her head on the prodigy's chest and closed her eyes. Then they quickly flew opn. She immediately growled at the watching jounins. "What are you all standing there for?! Get him to the hospital!"

Hospital? Sakura thought. But isn't her...?

"But Hokage-sama..."

"NOW!" Tsunade got up and started barking out orders. A hand held onto her wrist, stopping her. IT was Sasuke, whose wyes were downcast.

"Is he... Will he...?"

The blonde woman sighed and gave the boy a pat on the head. "He's lost a lot of blood and his wounds are deep. As a doctor, I'll do my best. Even if he does life, I can't guarantee what would happen after." Then she turned away. "Remember that." She started walking away. "You should have your wounds cleaned and mended." Then she was gone.

Most of the spectators had already dispersed, probably to spread the word of what they had witnessed – the return of the missing Uchihas and their unnatural relationship. Even if it were true, Sakura could not find it within her to be disgusted nor could she feel loathing for either Uchiha. She approached her teammate. "Sasuke-kun?"

The boy's head jerked up to look at her, eyes wide. "Sakura? I –"

She did what none of the villagers have done. She hugged him, embraced him and welcomed him home. "Okaeri, Sasuke-kun." And he hugged her back, wordlessly, clutching her tightly as if she'd disappear if he let her go.

In the past, she would have been squealing in delight and jumping for joy, happy at the prospect of being the recipient of the normally stoic boy's embrace. Not that she wasn't happy now but it felt different somehow from what she expected. Hugging him was like with her parents, like with Ino and Naruto. This told her that somehow she was somewhat over her excessive infatuation over the boy, not that it was completely gone of course.

She found it oddly comforting that he saw her as a friend of sorts to let her do this.

"I'm sorry," Sasuke said, his voice muffled in her hair. "I'm always making you worry, always causing you trouble. I'm so --- _sorry_."

She pushed herself out of his embrace and smiled. "Let's have your wounds checked." The pink-haired genin took his hand and led him to the hospital.

-----

Sasuke sat on the chair beside the patient's bed. The monitors were beeping at slow regular intervals. There were so many tubes, so many wires. The patient's eyes were covered.

The young Uchiha had never see Itachi so pale. It was scaring him. He didn't want this. He didn't want the older Uchiha to die. The prodigy should never have shielded him from the blows that would have ended his life.

Itachi...

Just then, the monitor flat lined. The sound was alarming. Sasuke stood up and shook the prodigy, trying to wake him as the doctors rushed in.

"Itachi wake up! This isn't funny!" This had to be a joke. It just had to be.

NononononononoNO!

Hands took hold of him, pulling him away. "No! Let me go!" He struggled and stretched his hand out, trying to reach for the older Uchiha as he was slowly being taken away. "Don't leave me! I don't want you to go!"

A couple more doctors rushed in. Most were already shaking their heads as the other tried to revive the pale and lifeless patient.

At the door, Sasuke held on tightly to the wall, refusing to let go as the orderlies tried to pry him away from it. "No..." Tears came to his eyes as he continued to stare at the scene. "No." Just then, his hold was pried loose. He stretched out his hand one more time before the door closed.

"ITACHI!"

-----

TBC

Author's notes: Well, that's it for now. I hope that you guys will not kill me for ending it right where I did. Hehehe. If you guys ever think that this chapter is already over R, please email me and I'll post this at my livejournal and edit this for FFNet.

Started: July 14, 2004

Put on hold: August 13, 2004

Resumed: October 11, 2004

Ended: October 15, 2004


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